Mechanical and structural properties of polypropylene/nanoclay composites containing various ratios ofPP-g-MA and SEBS-g-MA

Polypropylene/organo-modified montmorillonite (PP/OMMT) nanocomposites containing differentweight ratios of PP-g-MA/SEBS-g-MA (10/0, 7.5/2.5, 5/5, 2.5/7.5, and 0/10) were prepared via meltcompounding using twin screw extrusion followed by injection molding. Mechanical and structuralproperties of the samples were studied using tensile and Izod impact tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD)analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The XRD results indicated that thecharacteristic peak for the nanoclay shifted to lower angles for all the nanocomposites implying thatpolymer chains could intercalate into the nanoclays galleries. Mechanical testing revealed that a goodbalance between stiffness and toughness was achieved for a ratio of 5/5 and FESEM images showed auniform distribution of OMMTs in the matrix for this ratio.

Keywords:

Nanocomposite , Polypropylene , Mechanical properties , Structural properties