Novel exfoliated graphite nanoplates/syndiotactic polystyrene composites prepared by solution-blending

Novel exfoliated graphite nanoplates (xGNPs)/syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) composites were prepared by a simple and effective solution-blending method. The uniform dispersion of xGNPs in sPS matrix was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of xGNPs on sPS crystallization behavior was investigated by wide angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the existence of xGNPs increased the crystallization ability of sPS and facilitated the formation of the β phase crystalline structure. By adding 10 wt.% of xGNPs, the increase in the onset degradation temperature of the xGNPs/sPS composite could reach 12°C. The AC electrical conductivity at 1000 Hz increased from 3.8 × 10-10S/m for neat sPS to 2.25 × 10-4S/m for xGNPs/sPS composite containing 2.93 vol.% of xGNPs. Moreover, the thermal conductivity of the xGNPs/sPS composite containing 8.26 vol.% has been significantly improved from 0.21 to 1.63 W/m·K when compared with that of pure sPS.