Macromolecular Nanotechnology - Review Fabrication and materials properties of polystyrene/carbon nanotube (PS/CNT) composites: A review Mosab Kaseem a , Kotiba Hamad b , Young Gun Ko a,⇑ a Plasticity Control and Mechanical Modeling Laboratory, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea b School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea article info Article history: Received 9 December 2015 Received in revised form 6 April 2016 Accepted 11 April 2016 Available online 12 April 2016 Keywords: Polystyrene Carbon nanotube Functionalization Electrical properties abstract Polystyrene/carbon nanotube (PS/CNT) composites have attracted considerable attention in research and industry fields due to high strength and electrical conductivity of CNT. Recently, several investigations showed that the PS/CNT composites exhibited the signifi- cant enhancement in thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties at room and/or high temperatures as well as possessed excellent process-ability which was quite similar to those of pure polymers. In this study, the various processing methods used to fabricate the composites are outlined with a special focus on solution processing, melt mixing, in- situ polymerization, etc. This paper discusses the non-covalent and covalent modifications of CNTs with PS, which are commonly applied to improve the dispersion and compatibility of the PS/CNT composites. The thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of the pre- sent composites are also reviewed. The influences of different variables, such as type and content of CNT processing method and temperature, on the electrical responses are also highlighted. The discussion of the different properties in this study concluded that the addition of CNT would be beneficial for improving the materials performance of PS com- posites for industrial applications. Ó 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................. 37 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2016.04.011 0014-3057/Ó 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abbreviations: AIBN, azobisisobutyronitrile; ATRP, atom transfer radical polymerization; BMWCNT, boron-doped MWCNT; CNT, carbon nanotube; g / , complex viscosity; DCM, dichloromethane; DMA, dynamic mechanical analysis; DMF, dimethyl formamide; DSC, differential scanning calorimetry; DVB, divinyl benzene; DWCNT, double-walled carbon nanotube; EG, expanded graphite; EMI, electromagnetic interference; GPa, gigapascal; HACNT, highly aligned carbon nanotube; HDPE, high-density polyethylene; Hz, Hertz; HIPS, high impact polystyrene; LLDPE, linear low density polyethylene; MPa, migapascl; MWCNT, multi-walled carbon nanotube; n-BuLi, n-butyllithium; ODA, octadecylamine; o-DCB, 1,2-dichlorobenzene; OmimBF4, 1-octyl-3- methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate; PA, polyamide; PAA-b-PS, poly(acrylic acid-b-styrene); PC, polycarbonate; PCL, polycaprolactone; PE, polyethylene; PMMA, polymethyl methacrylate; PmPV, poly[(m-phenylene-vinylene)-co-(25dioctoxy-p-phenylenevinylene)]; PP, polypropylene; PS, polystyrene; PSV, poly(styrene-co-p-(4-(4 0 -vinylphenyl)-3-oxobutanol); PtBA-b-PS, poly[(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-styrene]; PVC, polyvinyl chloride; PVDF, polyvinylidene fluoride; PVOH, polyvinyl alcohol; PVP, poly(vinyl pyrrolidone); PyPS, pyrene-capped polystyrene; S m 1 , siemens per meter; SBS, styrene–butadiene– styrene; SDS, sodium dodecyl sulfate; SEM, scanning electron microscopy; SMA, poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride); sPS, syndiotactic polystyrene; SWCNT, single-walled carbon nanotube; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; TEMPO, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy; T g , glass transition temperature; TGA, thermogravimetric analysis; THF, tetrahydrofuran; TPa, terapascal; W/m K, watts per meter kelvin. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: younggun@ynu.ac.kr (Y.G. Ko). European Polymer Journal 79 (2016) 36–62 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect European Polymer Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/europolj