ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY, CRYSTALLIZATION AND MECHENICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYPROPYLENE/MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBE/CALCIUM CARBONATE COMPOSITES PREPARED BY MELT MIXING

 Polypropylene (PP)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) composites are prepared by melt mixing using two types of CaCO₃ of different sizes. The electrical resistivities of the composites with the two types of CaCO₃ are all lower than those of the corresponding PP/MWCNT composites at various MWCNT loadings (1 wt%-5 wt%). The morphology of the composites is investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The crystallization behavior of PP in the composites is characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The storage modulus, as measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), increases significantly by the presence of CaCO₃.     

玻璃纤维对碳纳米管填充聚合物/热塑性聚氨酯共混体系导电性能的影响

研究了表面带有环氧基团的玻璃纤维(GF)对聚丙烯(PP)/热塑性聚氨酯(TPU)/多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)、 聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯(PMMA)/TPU/MWCNT和聚乳酸(PLA)/TPU/MWCNT体系导电性能的影响. 研究结果表明, 未添加GF时, 由于MWCNTs选择性地分布在TPU分散相中, PP/TPU/MWCNT, PMMA/TPU/MWCNT和PLA/TPU/MWCNT材料的导电性能很差; 加入20%的GF使3个体系的电阻率均大幅度下降, 最高下降约13个数量级, 表明填充GF是一种具有普适性的改善以TPU为分散相的共混体系导电性能的有效方法. GF使体系电阻率降低的机理主要是形成了TPU包覆GF结构, 该结构可以看作长径比较高的导电棒, 可以有效协助导电通路的构建; 同时GF还起到了体积占位的作用, 提高了体系中导电组分在基体中的有效浓度.     

Crystallization, mechanical and thermal properties of sorbitol derivatives nucleated polypropylene/calcium carbonate composites

<正>The effect ofαphase nucleating agent(NA) 1,3:2,4-bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol(DMDBS) on crystallization and physical properties of polypropylene/calcium carbonate(PP/CaCO_3) composites has been comparatively investigated.Compared with binary PP/CaCO_3 composites,in which CaCO_3 exhibits weak heterogeneous nucleation, inconspicuous reinforcement and toughening effects for PP,the introduction of a few amounts of DMDBS induces a great increase of the degree of crystallinity.Largely improved tensile properties,fracture toughness at relatively higher temperature and heat deformation temperature(HDT) are observed for DMDBS nucleated PP/CaCO_3 composites.     

Annealing induced electrical conductivity jump of multi‐walled carbon nanotube/polypropylene composites and influence of molecular weight of polypropylene

Multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by a micro melt mixing process. As‐prepared composites had relatively low electrical conductivity due to the disruption of MWCNT network by strong shear. The electrical conductivity jumped to high values throughout an annealing process above the melting temperature of PP. The significant enhancement of electrical conductivity was influenced by annealing time, temperature, and content of MWCNTs. In particular, molecular weight of PP played an important role in affecting the conductivity enhancement. The molecular weight of PP was varied from 190,000 to 340,000 to examine its effect on the electrical conductivity. By comparing the conductivity enhancement behavior of composites with different molecular weight PPs and observing the morphology evolution during annealing, it was found that reaggregation of MWCNTs and the subsequent formation of MWCNT network during annealing are the main reasons for the jump of electrical conductivity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

填充增韧聚丙烯复合材料的断裂韧性及增韧机理

用表面处理的ＣａＣＯ３填充聚丙烯（均聚物ＰＰ），ＰＰ／ＣａＣＯ３复合材料的杨氏模量和缺口冲击强度同时得到增加，克服了通常填料填充聚合物降低韧性的缺点．用Ｊ积分研究其断裂韧性给出：裂纹扩展阻力ｄＪ／ｄ（△ａ）低是聚丙烯缺口脆性的主要原因，随着填料体积分数Ｖｆ的增加ＰＰ／ＣａＣＯ３的Ｊｃ出现一极大值，但其裂纹扩展阻力却不断增大；用裂纹引发点后的Ｊｃ＝Ｊｃ＋［ｄＪ／ｄ（△ａ）］·△ａ＝Ｊｅ（Ｊ积分弹性分量）＋Ｊｐ（Ｊ积分塑性分量）可全面表征韧性聚合物材料的断裂韧性；ＰＰ／ＣａＣＯ３的Ｊｐ明显增加，是裂纹扩展阻力和Ｊｔ增加的原因．ＳＥＭ分析结出，ＣａＣＯ３填料在裂尖损伤区内引起强烈的空洞化损伤，并增强了裂尖钝化破坏过程，这些细观损伤机制的变化，导致能量耗散增加，可用滞后分量Ｊｈ定量表征．由此给出聚合物材料被增韧的Ｊ积分判据为：复合材料的Ｊｈ＞基体的Ｊｈｍ．     

基于MWCNT/TiO2对电极和硫醇盐/二硫化物非碘氧化还原电对的染料敏化太阳能电池性能

采用水热法合成出多壁纳米碳管/二氧化钛(MWCNT/TiO₂)复合物, 并作为染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSC)中对电极材料并组装成电池. 通过场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、同步热重-差示扫描量热(TGA-DSC)、拉曼(Raman)光谱和光电子能谱(XPS)等方法对其形貌、组成和结构进行表征. 结果表明, 酸化MWCNT表面―COOH与水热生长出的锐钛矿TiO₂表面―OH之间, 通过形成类似于O＝C―O―Ti 或者C―O―Ti 的结构, 能有效地增强复合物薄膜层与导电玻璃基底之间的相互作用. 通过循环伏安(CV)、电化学阻抗谱(EIS)、塔菲尔曲线(Tafel)和电池的伏安特性曲线等方法研究了该类对电极对硫醇盐/二硫化物(T-/T₂)非碘氧化还原电对的光电化学特性. 结果表明: 当MWCNT与TiO₂质量比为3:1时, 基于该复合物对电极与T-/T₂非碘氧化还原电对所组装DSSC的开路电压为0.63 V, 短路电流为15.81 mA·cm^-2, 填充因子为0.65, 光电转换效率达到6.47%.     

Rheological and electrical properties of polypropylene/MWCNT composites prepared with MWCNT masterbatch chips

Melt compounded PP/MWCNT (polypropylene/multi-walled carbon nanotube) composites were prepared by diluting highly concentrated masterbatch chips. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) was used as a compatibilizer to promote dispersion and interaction of MWCNTs. Rheological properties were investigated with respect to the MWCNT and compatibilizer loadings, and related to morphological and electrical properties. As the MWCNT loading was increased, shear viscosity and yield stress were increased at low shear rate region because of increased interaction between MWCNT particles. When the MWCNT loading was low, MWCNT dispersion was improved by the PP-g-MAH compatibilizer because MWCNTs were wetted sufficiently due to the presence of the compatibilizer. However, rheological and electrical properties of highly concentrated MWCNT composites with the compatibilizer were not improved compared with PP/MWCNT composites without the compatibilizer because the compatibilizer did not provide sufficient wrapping of MWCNT particles. Electrical and morphological properties of PP/MWCNT composites were correlated with the rheological properties in steady and dynamic oscillatory shear flows.     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics of polypropylene/POSS composites

Polypropylene (PP)/octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) composites were prepared by two different processing methods: reactive blending and physical blending, and the crystallization behavior of PP and PP/POSS composites was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscope. The results showed that the crystallization of PP in PP/POSS composites was strongly influenced by the different processing methods. POSS particles can act as effective nucleating agent, accelerating the crystallization of PP. The crystallization rate increased more dramatically for the reactive blending composite due to the stronger nucleating effect of PP grafted POSS. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1762–1772, 2008     

原位固相接枝改性碳酸钙/聚丙烯复合材料的制备

用马来酸酐（MAH）在碳酸钙（CaCO3）表面引入双键,通过原位固相接枝法将聚丙烯蜡（PPW）化学键合在CaCO3表面,制得3种接枝率的CaCO3-MAH-PPW。 将这3种改性CaCO3填充聚丙烯（PP）制备复合材料,研究了PP/CaCO3界面作用对复合材料强度的影响。 结果表明,CaCO3表面经PPW接枝改性后在PP中的分散性提高,与PP相容性变好;随着改性CaCO3表面PPW接枝率的提高,CaCO3与PP之间界面作用逐渐增强。 当PPW接枝率为4.48 mg PPW/g CaCO3时,CaCO3与PP之间的界面作用最强,复合材料拉伸强度下降最小,杨氏模量提升最大,当m(PP)∶m(CaCO3)=100∶50时,杨氏模量达0.86 GPa,是纯PP的1.63倍;而PPW化学接枝率为2.49 mg PPW/g CaCO3时,CaCO3与PP之间的界面作用适中,复合材料缺口冲击强度提升最大,且当m(PP)∶m(CaCO3)=100∶10时,缺口冲击强度达3.91 kJ/m2,是纯PP的1.35倍。     

Mechanical properties and morphological structures of short glass fiber reinforced PP/EPDM composite

The mechanical properties and crystal morphological structures of short glass fiber (SGF) reinforced dynamically photo-irradiated polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) composites were studied by mechanical tests, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The mechanical properties of PP/EPDM composites, especially the tensile strength were greatly strengthened by dynamically photo-irradiation and the incorporation of SGF. The results from the WAXD, SEM, DSC, and TGA measurements reveal: (i) the formation of β-type crystal of PP in the PP/EPDM/SGF composite; (ii) the fiber length in dynamically photo-irradiated PP/EPDM/SGF composites are general longer than that in corresponding unirradiated samples. The size of EPDM phase in the photo-irradiated composites reduces obviously whereas the droplet number increases; (iii) photo-irradiation improves the interface adhesion between SGF and polymer matrix; (iv) the melting and crystallization temperatures of the photo-irradiated composites are not affected greatly by increasing the SGF content; (v) the thermal analysis results show that the incorporation of SGF into PP/EPDM plays an important role for increasing its thermal stability.     

聚乳酸/矿物填料复合材料的示差扫描量热研究

通过熔融共混法制备了一系列聚乳酸(PLA)/矿物填料复合材料.采用示差扫描量热(DSC)研究了含有碳酸钙(CaCO3)、蒙脱土(MMT)和凹凸棒土(AT)的聚乳酸复合材料在不同热历程中的结晶和熔融行为.研究发现,MMT和AT对PLA的慢速降温结晶无明显影响,而碳酸钙在慢速降温过程中能够有效促进PLA结晶;在2.5 K/min的降温速率下,结晶热焓随碳酸钙含量增加而增加;填料种类和含量会对复合材料升温过程的冷结晶和熔融产生较大影响,低含量矿物填料主要对PLA的冷结晶起成核作用,其中MMT成核效果最好.较高含量下不同填料会对PLA晶体形态产生影响,从而得到多样的DSC曲线变化.     

超细CaCO_3的粒子尺寸对PP结晶行为的影响

The effects of CaCO3 on the crystallization behavior of polypropylene (PP) were studied by means of DSC and WAXD.The average sizes of the CaCO3 powders used were 0.1μm (UC) and 0.5μm (GC),respectively.The PP/CaCO3 composites at compositions of 1phr and 10 phr were investigated.The results showed that the addition of CaCO3 reduced the supercooling,the rate of nucleation and the overall rate of crystallization (except for the 10phr UC/PP sample).The crystallinity of PP was increased and the size distribution of the crystallites of α-PP was broadened.On the other hand,the crystallization rate of 10phr UC/PP is 1.5 times higher than that of neat PP.It has an overall rate of crystallization 2 times as much as that of the neat PP and has the maximum crystallinity.The sizes of crystallites and the unit cell parameters of α-PP were varied by the addition of CaCO3.β-PP was formed by addition of GC and was not detected by addition of UC.The differences of crystallization behaviors of PP might be attributed to the combined effects of the content and size of CaCO3 filled.     

Multiwalled carbon nanotube promotes crystallisation while preserving co-continuous phase morphology of polycarbonate/polypropylene blend

The influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on phase morphology, lamellar structure, thermal stability, melting behaviour and isothermal crystallisation kinetics of polycarbonate/polypropylene (PC/PP) blend nanocomposites has been investigated. Both neat blends and PC/PP (60/40)/MWCNT nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing method. Morphological analyses were performed by high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. The co-continuous morphology of the blend was retained irrespective of MWCNT loading. In addition, a substantial refinement in the co-continuous structure was observed. Wide angle and small angle X-ray scattering studies were used to analyse the structural properties of the blend nanocomposites. The addition of MWCNT increases the long period of polypropylene. The influence of addition of MWCNT on the crystallisation temperature and equilibrium melting temperature (Tm°) of polypropylene was followed. The MWCNTs promote crystallisation rate of polypropylene in the blend nanocomposites.     

Influence of organo-clay on electrical and mechanical properties of PP/MWCNT/OC nanocomposites

The electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites, based on polypropylene (PP) filled by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and organo-clay (OC), were studied with the purpose of finding out the effect of OC on the microstructure of MWCNTs dispersion and PP/MWCNT/OC composites. It was found that addition of organo-clay nanoparticles improved nanotube dispersion and enhanced electrical properties of PP/MWCNT nanocomposites. Addition of organo-clay (MWCNT/OC ratio was 1/1) reduced the percolation threshold of PP/MWCNT nanocomposites from ?_c = 0.95 vol.% to ?_c = 0.68 vol.% of carbon nanotubes, while the level of conductivity became 2–4 orders of magnitude higher. The DSC and DMA analyses have shown that the influence of organo-clay on the thermal and mechanical properties of material was not significant in composites with both fillers as compared to PP/OC. Such an effect can be caused by stronger interaction of OC with carbon nanotubes than with polymer matrix.     

PP/EPDM/CaCO_3三元复合材料的相结构及力学性能研究

采用以化学键合方式在CaCO3表面包覆上聚丙烯蜡和将改性后的CaCO3先与EPDM复合、再与PP复合的工艺,制备PP/EPDM/CaCO3三元复合材料,以期在PP基体材料中得到EPDM包裹CaCO3的相结构.通过测量三元复合体系中各组分的表面张力,计算各可能组分对之间的界面张力和黏结功,分析三元复合体系中可能的相结构.热力学计算结果表明,三元复合体系中既存在以EPDM为壳、CaCO3为核的"核壳结构",又存在CaCO3与EPDM各自独立分散在PP基体中的结构.电镜照片进一步揭示,在PP/EPDM/改性CaCO3三元复合体系与PP/EPDM/未改性CaCO3三元复合体系中,这两种相结构的比例是不同的,在前者中以核壳结构为主.CaCO3表面性质的不同是产生这一差别的原因.由于这一结构差别的存在,PP/EPDM/改性CaCO3三元复合体系比PP/EPDM/未改性CaCO3三元复合体系具有更好的力学性能.当EPDM用量为8 phr、改性CaCO3用量为15 phr时,三元复合体系的冲击强度达14.25 kJ/m2,是纯PP的3.17倍.     

Effects of Electrically Inert Fillers on the Properties of Poly(m-xylene adipamide)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites

The effects of three types of electrically-inert fillers, calcium carbonate(CaCO_3), talc and glass fiber(GF), on electrical resistivity, crystallization behavior and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(m-xylene adipamide)(MXD6)/multiwalled carbon nanotube(MWCNT) composites are investigated. The electrical resistivity of MXD6/MWCNT composites is significantly reduced with the addition of inert fillers due to the volume-exclusion effect that leads to increased effective concentration of MWCNTs in MXD6 matrix and also due to improved MWCNT dispersion. The crystallization temperature of MXD6 increases with the addition of MWCNTs, indicating that MWCNTs can act as nucleating agent and induce crystallization of MXD6. The incorporation of inert fillers has no further effect on crystallization behavior of MXD6, but significantly improves the storage modulus of MXD6/MWCNT composite, demonstrating that CaCO_3, talc and GF filled MXD6/MWCNT composites are very promising materials with not only improved electrical property but also excellent mechanical properties.     

Uncross‐linked polypropylene (PP)/ethylene‐propylene‐diene (EPDM)/multi walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and dynamically vulcanized PP/EPDM/MWCNT nanocomposites

In this study, relatively large amounts of polypropylene (PP), ethylene‐propylene‐diene (EPDM), and multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were melt‐mixed with and without DCP. Dynamically vulcanized PP/EPDM (TPV)/MWCNT nanocomposites were prepared by two methods: the MWCNTs were added either before or after the dynamic vulcanization of the blends. The effects of composition, rotor speed, and dynamic vulcanization on their surface resistivity were investigated. The surface resistivity of uncross‐linked PP/EPDM/MWCNT nanocomposites increases with increasing the content of EPDM. At PP/EPDM (70/30 wt%) nanocomposite with 1.5 phr MWCNT, slightly lower surface resistivity is obtained by increasing the rotor speed during mixing. However, for PP/EPDM (50/50 wt%) and PP/EPDM (30/70 wt%) nanocomposites, surface resistivity decreases with increasing the rotor speed from 30 to 60 rpm. But further increase in rotor speed (90 rpm) leads to an increase of surface resistivity. When the MWCNTs were added after the dynamic vulcanization of the blends, the surface resistivity of TPV70/MWCNTnanocomposite is lower than that of uncross‐linked PP/EPDM/MWCNT nanocomposite. However, when the MWCNTs were added before the dynamic vulcanization of the blends, the surface resistivity of TPV70/MWCNT nanocomposite is >10¹² Ω/square. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contribution of oriented structure and rigid nanofillers to mechanical enhancement of die-drawn PP/MWCNT composites

Oriented structure, mainly controlled by processing conditions, is another efficient method of reinforcing polymer materials in addition to compounding with rigid inorganic fillers such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The mechanical properties of oriented polypropylene (PP)/multiwalled CNT (MWCNT) composites, which are vital to their application fields, are investigated extensively in this paper, with an aim to distinguish the contribution of MWCNTs contents from that of the oriented structure to the final performance of the composite. The results indicate that MWCNTs mainly increase the modulus of the composites by approximately 140%. The oriented structure formed during the die-drawing process contributes more to the enhancement of tensile strength, increasing up to 550%. The modulus and tensile strength can be further improved by increasing the drawing speed. Moreover, the tensile stress field in the die-drawing process can vastly improve the dispersion of the MWCNTs in the matrix, thus providing a new idea for improving the dispersion of nanofillers in the polymer matrix.     

Effects of electrically inert fillers on the properties of poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>-xylene adipamide)/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites

The effects of three types of electrically-inert fillers, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), talc and glass fiber (GF), on electrical resistivity, crystallization behavior and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(m-xylene adipamide) (MXD6)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites are investigated. The electrical resistivity of MXD6/MWCNT composites is significantly reduced with the addition of inert fillers due to the volume-exclusion effect that leads to increased effective concentration of MWCNTs in MXD6 matrix and also due to improved MWCNT dispersion. The crystallization temperature of MXD6 increases with the addition of MWCNTs, indicating that MWCNTs can act as nucleating agent and induce crystallization of MXD6. The incorporation of inert fillers has no further effect on crystallization behavior of MXD6, but significantly improves the storage modulus of MXD6/MWCNT composite, demonstrating that CaCO₃, talc and GF filled MXD6/MWCNT composites are very promising materials with not only improved electrical property but also excellent mechanical properties.     

New (PP/EPR)/nano‐CaCO3 based formulations in the perspective of polymer recycling. Effect of nanoparticles properties and compatibilizers

Phase structure of composite polypropylene (PP)/ethylene–propylene–rubber (EPR)/coated nano‐CaCO₃ composites, used in the manufacture of bumpers, with and without compatibilizers has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) mechanical tests, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Blends of various compositions were prepared using a corotating twin‐screw extruder. The experimental results indicated that the dispersion of nanoparticles in (PP/EPR) depends on their surface (stearic acid and fatty acid coatings). In both cases, the final morphology is the core–shell structure in which EPR acts as the shell part encapsulating coated nano‐CaCO₃. In this case, EPR‐g‐MAH copolymer does not improve the interface between (PP/EPR) and nanoparticles but PEP propylene ethylene copolymer should be preferentially localized at the interface of PP and (EPR/nano‐CaCO₃) phases generating an improved adherence, which will ensure a better cohesion of the whole material. According to the nature of the compatibilizers and surface treatment, it is believed that the synergistic effect of both the EPR elastomer and CaCO₃ nanoparticles should account for the balanced performance of the ternary composites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.