Preparation and characterization of polystyrene/graphite oxide nanocomposite by emulsion polymerization

Polystyrene intercalated graphite oxide (GO) nanocomposite was prepared by emulsion polymerization reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution electron microscopy (HREM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was shown that polystyrene can be intercalated into the interlayer space of GO and form exfoliated and intercalated nanocomposites. The thermal analysis demonstrated that the presence of GO enhances the char residue of the nanocomposite.