The effect of nano-layered silicate on the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites

Abstract EN

Layered nanosilicate modified with oregano ammonium salts were melt mixed to 10 phr with polypropylene (PP) and subsequently compression molded.

The PP-composites were characterized with respect to their mechanical, flow and thermal properties as a function of layered nanosilicate loading.

It has been found that the apparent shear viscosity of the composites was decreased with layered nanosilicates contents, which suggests that the layered silicates enhanced the processibility of the PP composites.

This scenario was related to the platy shape of the layered nano silicates acting as an internal plasticizer for the composites.

Differential scanning calorimeters of the composite formulations revealed that the crystallization kinetics were changed with the incorporation of nanosilicates.

The recorded results were related to the coarsening of the fillers due to the interaction between the nano-layered silicates and PP matrix.

The tensile properties of the composites were evaluated as a function of silicate content.

It was found that the tensile strength decreased with nanosilicate loading, which could be attributed to the modest interaction between the still polar-layered silicates and the non-polar PP matrix.