Preparation and Characteristics of Polystyrene/Attapulgite Composites Via In-siu Suspension Polymerization

A series of polystyrene/attapulgite composites were synthesized through suspension polymerization. The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction. FTIR results show that there was no significant change in the peak positions and the peak intensity for polystyrene/attapulgite composites compared to the pure polystyrene. There is a rise in thermal stability of composites compared to pure polystyrene. Attapulgite acts as an effective thermal barrier and thereby hinders the degradtion of polystyrene.