Polystyrene Composites Containing Crosslinked Polystyrene-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Balls

Crosslinked polystyrene-multiwalled car- bon nanotube (PS-MWCNT) balls, which act as conductive microfillers, were prepared by the in situ suspension poly- merization of styrene with MWCNTs and divinyl benzene (DVB) as a crosslinking agent. The diameters of the syn- thesized crosslinked PS-MWCNT balls ranged from 10 to 100 lm and their electrical conductivity was about 7.7 � 10 � 3 S/cm. The morphology of the crosslinked PS- MWCNT balls was observed by scanning electron micros- copy and transmission electron microscopy. The change in the chemical structure of the MWCNTs was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spec- troscopy. The mechanical and electrical properties of the PS/crosslinked PS-MWCNT ball composites were investi- gated. It was found that the tensile strength, ultimate strain, Young's modulus, and impact strength of the PS matrix were enhanced by the incorporation of the cross- linked PS-MWCNT balls. In addition, the mechanical properties of the PS/crosslinked PS-MWCNT ball compo- sites were better than those of the PS/pristine MWCNT composites. V C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 110: 3737-3744, 2008