Investigation of the effect of aluminum oxide nanoparticle additives and gamma irradiation on the thermal behavior of syndiotactic polystyrene

• Published in: Polymer composites 2019-09, Vol.40 (9), p.3588-3600
• Main Authors: Abdeldaym, A., Elhady, M. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activation energy; Additives; Aluminum; Aluminum oxide; Crystallization; Differential scanning calorimetry; Energy measurement; Enthalpy; Gamma irradiation; Gamma rays; Glass transition temperature; Investigations; Melt flow index; Melt temperature; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Polymers; Polystyrene resins; Stability analysis; Syndiotacticity; Thermal decomposition; Thermal stability; Thermodynamic properties; Thermogravimetric analysis
• ISSN: 0272-8397; 1548-0569
• DOI: 10.1002/pc.25222

Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) containing 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt% of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles were prepared following the melt‐mixing technique. The thermal behavior of the sPS/Al2O3 nanocomposites was investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and melt flow index (MFI). The DSC results indicated that for all sPS/Al2O3 nanocomposites, the melting temperature (Tm), the melting enthalpy (ΔHm), the crystallization temperature (Tc), and the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased with an increase in the Al2O3 nanoparticles content. The TGA analysis indicated that the thermal stability of all nanocomposites is significantly enhanced after the addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles with different contents. The activation energy was determined through two different models: the Coats–Redfern model and Broido's models were utilized to measure the activation energy of thermal decomposition by assuming first‐order kinetics. The results of both methods have displayed a high level of agreement. Our study extended to study the MFI of the sPS/Al2O3 nanocomposites. The MFI reduced when the Al2O3 nanoparticles content increased. The effect of gamma irradiation on the thermal behavior of the sPS/Al2O3 nanoparticles was also investigated at different gamma‐absorbed doses. Significant modifications were observed in the thermal behavior of sPS/Al2O3 nanocomposites after the irradiation process, and the experimental data indicated that the addition of Al2O3 nanocomposites in small loading contents and gamma irradiation can significantly help improve the thermal properties of sPS. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3588–3600, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers