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Poly(propylene)/Clay Nanocomposites Prepared by Reactive Compounding with an Epoxy Based Masterbatch

2005; Wiley; Volume: 290; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/mame.200500176

1439-2054

Ling Chen, Ke Wang, Mei Ling Toh, Chaobin He,

Polymer crystallization and properties

Abstract Summary: Poly(propylene) (PP)/clay nanocomposites have been prepared via a novel reactive compounding approach, in which an epoxy based masterbatch consisting of 20 wt.‐% clay was introduced to poly(propylene) with the aid of a maleic anhydride grafted PP (MAPP). The masterbatch was prepared using a recently developed “slurry compounding” technique. After melt compounding, most clay particles have been exfoliated and dispersed into small stacks with several clay layers. WAXD data shows that the dispersion of clay is better at low clay content or high MAPP content. Due to the novelty of the preparation process and complication of the system, the tensile properties of nanocomposites exhibit some unique tendencies with varying the content of MAPP or masterbatch. It is believed that the yield strength and Young's modulus can be dramatically improved after minimizing the excess of unreacted epoxy and optimizing the dispersion of clay. TEM micrograph of PP/clay nanocomposites prepared with epoxy based masterbatch. magnified image TEM micrograph of PP/clay nanocomposites prepared with epoxy based masterbatch.