Abstract
Polystyrene-based composites with Fly ash, Cenospheres, and Calcium aluminosilicate as fillers have been examined for their mechanical and microstructure properties. Free volume measurements have been carried out using Positron Lifetime Spectroscopy to probe the microstructural features of the composites. Incorporation of fly ash, cenospheres, and calcium aluminosilicate improved the thermal properties of the composites due to increased T sub(g)of the composites as revealed by the DSC data. Also, it was observed that the mechanical properties of calcium aluminosilicate filled composites improved more compared to fly ash and cenospheres filled composites. We attribute these favorable changes to the higher silica content of calcium aluminosilicate on account of possible interactions between the polymer matrix and silica and to some extent from particulate size. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010