Evaluation of Crystallinity in Talc/Poly-styrene Composites by using FTIR and XRD

Abstract

Over the decade, polymers have found their usage in almost all types of industries ranging from food and beverage packaging to automobile industries. Though the polymers are considered highly inert and chemically stable, their performance under mechanical loading is not at par with their metallic counterparts. Thus, polymer composites have started gaining popularity over the years, but their properties are poorly understood. In this study, the effect of talc addition on the crystalline structure of polystyrene has been observed. The talc/polystyrene composites for this work were prepared using solution dispersion method. The composites were characterized for structural changes using FTIR and XRD. The talc is added to the polystyrene matrix in the composition of 5, 10 and 15% by weight of polystyrene. The FTIR study showed that the talc particles bond with the polystyrene matrix along its CH/CH2 groups. It was also observed that talc content primarily governs the extent of bonding between the filler and polymer matrix. The disappearance of vibrational motions in FTIR from the side segments of polystyrene confirms good bonding between talc and polystyrene. The semi crystalline nature of the composites was also revealed by the XRD analysis. The appearance of two peaks at approximately 18.7218 and 28.3588° in XRD diffractogram of the composites indicates that due to the addition of talc, the amorphous nature of polystyrene turns to semi-crystalline.