Nanocomposites containing nanotubes grafted from polystyrene (PS), which had good dispersibility in water and ethanol, were prepared by in situ suspension polymerization, using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) suggested that the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were covered by PS films of 1～3 nm and PS latex whose radius are from few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers. The π bond on the surface of MWNT were opened by radicals generated from BPO to form a new type of radicals containing MWNT. The chemical bond between MWNT and polystyrene was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Key words: polystyrene, MWNT, grafting, nanocomposites, radical, dispersibility