Highly Filled Polystyrene/Laponite Hybrid Nanoparticles Prepared Using the Ad-miniemulsion Polymerisation Technique

The preparation of highly filled polystyrene/Laponite (PS/Lap) hybrid nanoparticles by the ad‐miniemulsion polymerisation technique, using conventional free‐radical polymerisation, is described. Laponite (Lap) is first modified with a polymerisable cationic surfactant. Then, using a second surfactant dispersions are prepared under sonication. A stable hybrid miniemulsion is obtained after mixing and co‐sonicating both miniemulsions. The polymerisation is conducted using an oil‐soluble initiator to obtain hybrid nanoparticles. PS/Lap hybrid nanoparticles are effectively prepared with clay contents as high as 50 wt%. TEM reveals that the highly filled hybrid latexes (≥30 wt%) exhibit encapsulated morphology with homogeneously distributed clay platelets. The use of the ad‐miniemulsion polymerisation technique to prepare highly filled polystyrene/Laponite hybrid latexes with up to 50 wt% clay content is described. The latex and film morphology of these hybrids latexes have been examined. The extent of clay exfoliation and physical properties of the nanocomposites has been evaluated in relation to clay content.