3.1.3. TEM Analysis

In this investigation, TEM was employed to confirm and explore the dispersion states of polystyrene chains into the organoclay (OC) clay galleries [36]. Figures 10 and 11 show the TEM micrographs of pure organoclay (OC) from the Indian and Khulays clay, as well as all prepared nanocomposites (1–5 wt.% PCNs). The bright areas in these photos repre-sent the PS matrix, and the dark lines represent the OC sheets [17]. Images of the 1% PCN from both types of clay revealed that the OC sheets are entirely exfoliated, whereas at 3% and 5% PCN, the OC sheets are still well ordered in certain tiny regions. This finding demonstrates categorically that the structure of the PS/OC nanocomposite at 1 wt.% is totally exfoliated, while the structure at 3 and 5 wt.% PS/OC nanocomposites are only partially exfoliated. In the case of the 1% PCN, the results are consistent based on the available XRD data and TEM micrographs.

However, the XRD results for the 3 and 5% PCNs revealed the formation of an exfoliated structure, while the TEM data revealed the presence of an intercalated structure in localized locations. The same outcomes were attained for all the PS/OC nanocomposites made from the local Khulays and Indian clay. As a result, the TEM technique is regarded as an important tool for evaluating the dispersion degree of nanoparticles in polymer matrices [11,12,21]. When the TEM pictures are compared, it is clear that the CCIn exhibited greater exfoliation than the RCKh at all the formulations tested.

**Figure 10.** TEM micrographs of pure OC and 1–5 wt.% PCN for CCIn at high magnifications.
