The effects of reprocessing cycles on the structure and properties of isotactic polypropylene/cloisite 15A nanocomposites

The effects of reprocessing cycles on the structure and properties of isotactic polypropylene (PP)/Cloisite 15A (OMMT) (5 wt. %) nanocomposites was studied in presence of maleic anhydride-grafted-polypropylene (PP-g-MA) (20 wt. %) used as the compatibiliser to improve the clay dispersion in the polymer matrix. The various nanocomposite samples were prepared by direct melt intercalation in an internal mixer, and further they were subjected to 4 reprocessing cycles. For comparative purposes, the neat PP was also processed under the same conditions. The nanocomposite structure and the clay dispersion have been characterized by wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and rheological measurements. Other characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), tensile measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have also been used to evaluate the property changes induced by reprocessing. The study showed through XRD patterns that the repetitive reprocessing cycles modified the initial morphology of PP/OMMT nanocomposites by improving the formation of intercalated structure, especially after the fourth cycle. Further, the addition of PP-g-MA promoted the development of intercalated/exfoliated silicate layers in the PP matrix after the second cycle. These results are in agreement with TEM observations indicating an improved silicate dispersion in the polymer matrix with reprocessing cycles displaying a morphology with both intercalated/exfoliated structures. The initial storage modulus (G′) of the nanocomposites, which was highly improved in presence of PP-g-MA seems to be less affected by reprocessing cycles at very low frequencies exhibiting a quasi-plateau compared to pristine PP/OMMT and PP. In contrast, the complex viscosity was found to decrease for the whole samples indicating that the main effect of reprocessing was a decrease in the molecular weight. Moreover, the thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were significantly reduced after the first cycle; nevertheless they remained almost unchanged during recycling. No change in the chemical structure was observed in the FT-IR spectra for both the nanocomposites and neat PP samples after 4 cycles.     

An assessment of the role of morphology in thermal/thermo-oxidative degradation mechanism of PP/EVA/clay nanocomposites

In this study, morphological properties of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) (75/25 wt/wt) blend-based nanocomposites containing various amounts of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) were primarily investigated. The incorporation of compatibilizer into nanocomposites decreased EVA droplet size in PP matrix while increasing compatibilizer/OMMT ratio showed a dual behavior with respect to the variations of OMMT interlayer spacing. By a rough estimation it was found that at EVA droplet size of D_n = 0.43 μm, the highest OMMT interlayer spacing would be acheived. Increasing D_n had a negative effect on the OMMT interlayer spacing. Activation energy of thermal/thermo-oxidative degradation based on Flynn model was obtained. Isothermal degradation test was also performed and desired temperature range for predicting degradation behavior was obtained by means of a free prediction model. An attempt was made to establish a correlation between morphological and thermal/thermo-oxidative parameters and also charred residue morphology. A mechanism for degradation process was proposed according to the changes of chemical bonds during the degradation process probed by FTIR analysis.     

Thermo-oxidative stability of polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposites

Several series of experiments were carried out to check the effect of components on the stability of PP/layered silicate nanocomposites. The amount of organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) changed between 0 and 6, while that of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) between 0 and 50 vol%. The composites were prepared in an internal mixer at 190 °C. Mixing speed and time were changed to study the effect of processing conditions on stability. The structure of the samples was characterised by various methods, while stability by the induction time of oxidation (OIT), the onset temperature of degradation (OOT) and by colour. Contrary to numerous claims published in the literature, which indicate the positive effect of layered silicates on the stability of polymer nanocomposites, our results clearly proved that both OMMT and MAPP accelerate degradation during processing and deteriorate the properties of PP composites. Residual stability decreases drastically with increasing amounts of both components, chain scission leads to the decrease of viscosity and to inferior strength and deformability. In spite of expectations, the effect of the components is independent of each other. Discoloration is caused mainly by the inherent colour of the filler and it decreases with increasing exfoliation. The most probable reason for decreased stability is the reaction of the components with the stabilisers, but this explanation needs further verification. Processing conditions influence degradation considerably, increasing shear rate and longer residence times lead to more pronounced degradation. The basic stabilization of commercial grade polypropylenes is insufficient to protect the polymer against degradation and without additional stabilization processing under normal conditions results in products with inferior quality.     

Preparation of urea formaldehyde microsphere and its effect on flame retardant ethylene vinyl acetate composites

Urea formaldehyde microsphere (UFM) was prepared and used with organic montmorillonite (OMMT) to modify the flame retardant efficiency of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/intumescent flame retardant (IFR) composites. The results show that single IFR may modify the flame retardancy of EVA, but its efficiency is not good enough. The EVA composite containing 21 wt% IFR is just classified the UL_94 V2 and has a limiting oxygen index (LOI) 24.7 vol%. Combining UFM with IFR does not improve the flame retardancy of EVA/IFR composites, and blending OMMT with IFR only improves its LOI. Adding 2 wt% UFM, 2 wt% OMMT, and 17 wt% IFR into EVA, it obtains the UL_94 V0 without melt dripping and a LOI 29.0 vol%. Also, the peak heat release rate and total heat release decrease a lot. Good synergistic effects among IFR, UFM, and OMMT improve the char residues and modify the char micromorphology of EVA composites, which provide better protect for the underlying resin.     

Novel hybrid systems based on poly(propylene-g-maleic anhydride) and Ti-POSS by direct reactive blending

Novel hybrid systems based on maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PPgMA) and home-made Ti-containing amino polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (Ti-POSS-NH₂) have been prepared by one-step reactive blending, and their properties have been compared with those of systems based on a non-reactive POSS (POSS). The occurrence of a reaction between PPgMA and the reactive POSS molecules has been assessed by Fourier Transform Infrared Resonance (FTIR) measurements, whereas dispersion of POSS into the polymer was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), showing a nanometric dispersion only for the reactive POSS. Thermo-oxidative behaviour was studied by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), showing a delayed volatilization of the PPgMA/Ti-POSS-NH₂ with respect to both PPgMA/POSS and pristine PPgMA, which is attributed to the chemical activity of Ti in Ti-POSS-NH₂. To highlight the mechanism of the hybrid system decomposition, samples which underwent a thermal treatment at 250 °C, i.e. the onset temperature for polymer matrix decomposition in thermo-oxidative conditions, have been studied by FTIR and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements.     

PP/EVA/OMMT纳米复合材料及其阻燃材料的动态燃烧行为

利用锥形量热仪(CONE)在35kW/m2热辐照条件下,并结合极限氧指数(LOI)和UL-94垂直燃烧测试方法对聚丙烯(PP)/乙烯-醋酸乙烯酯共聚物(EVA)/有机蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合材料和加入无卤复配阻燃剂制备的PP/EVA/OMMT/氢氧化铝(ATH)/三氧化二锑(AO)纳米复合阻燃材料的热释放速率、烟释放及材料在燃烧时的质量损失行为进行了研究。结果表明,添加5%(质量分数)OMMT可以提高PP/EVA复合材料的阻燃性能,燃烧时的热释放速率、质量损失率以及烟释放量减少,且OMMT与无卤复配阻燃剂之间可产生阻燃协同作用,使纳米复合阻燃材料的阻燃性能、热稳定性和抑烟性进一步增强。     

Effect of Different Organic Modifiers on the Tensile Properties of PVC／EVA／Montmorillonite Composites

Poly (vinyl chloride)/ethylene-vinyl acetate/montmorillonite (PVC/EVA/OMMT) composites were prepared by melt blending method. Two kinds of montmorillonites were organically modified by trimethyloctadecyl ammonium and dimethyl bis (hydrogenated tallow) ammonium, respectively. The morphology and tensile properties of the resultant composites were discussed in terms of the modifier type and OMMT content. The PVC/EVA/OMMT composites have intercalated structure, which is independent of the polarity of the modifiers, while the tensile properties show strong dependence on the modifier type. The OMMT modified by polar modifier gives higher tensile ductile and strength of PVC/EVA/OMMT composites.     

Flammability, structure and mechanical properties of PP/OMMT nanocomposites

Polypropylene/organoclay (PP/OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared in a twin-screw corotating extruder using two methods. The first method was the dilution of commercial (PP/50% Nanofil SE3000) masterbatch in PP (or PP with commercial flame retardant). The second method consists of two stages was the extrusion of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) with commercially available organobentonite masterbatch in first stage and dilution of the masterbatch in PP (or PP with commercial flame retardant) in second stage. XRD results showed no intercalation in composites obtained from commercial masterbatch without compatibilizer and semi - delamination for compatibilized systems. Tensile tests revealed that nanocomposites with 5% of organoclay have a slightly higher tensile modulus and tensile strength than pristine PP, however addition of the commercial flame retardant (FR) reduces mechanical parameters to roughly the level of those for neat PP. PP/OMMT composites have approx. 25% higher oxygen index than pristine PP, and this changes slightly after the addition of FR. The cone calorimeter tests showed a decrease of a heat release rate (HRR) and a mass loss rate (MLR) after the addition of FR.     

Morphology and fracture behavior of toughening‐modified poly(vinyl chloride)/organophilic montmorillonite composites

Toughening‐modified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) composites with an impact‐modifier resin (Blendex 338) were prepared by melt intercalation, and their microstructures were investigated with wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of the PVC composites were examined in terms of the content of Blendex and OMMT, and the fracture toughness was analyzed with a modified essential work of fracture model. Intercalated structures were found in the PVC/OMMT composites with or without Blendex. Either Blendex or OMMT could improve the elongation at break and notched impact strength of PVC at proper contents. With the addition of 30 phr or more of Blendex, supertough behavior was observed for PVC/Blendex blends, and their notched impact strength was increased more than 3319% compared with that of pristine PVC. Furthermore, the addition of OMMT greatly improved both the toughness and strength of PVC/Blendex blends, and the toughening effect of OMMT on PVC/Blendex blends was much larger than that on pristine PVC. Blendex and OMMT synergistically improved the mechanical properties of PVC. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 286–295, 2004     

本质阻燃聚苯乙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合物的制备及性能

通过原位聚合法制备了本质阻燃聚苯乙烯[P(St-co-AEPPA)]/有机改性蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合物[P(St-co-AEPPA)/OMMT], 并用普通聚苯乙烯/有机改性蒙脱土(PS/OMMT)复合物作为对比实验, 研究了含磷、氮单体丙烯酸羟乙基-苯氧基-二乙基磷酰胺(AEPPA)和OMMT等添加物对本质阻燃聚苯乙烯性能的影响.用X射线衍射仪(XRD)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)分析了复合材料的结构与形貌, 并对OMMT在基体中的分散机理进行了讨论.用差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、热重分析(TGA)和微型量热仪(MCC)研究了材料的热性能和燃烧性能.结果表明, AEPPA和OMMT能够显著提高基体的热稳定性和阻燃性.     

Accelerating role of clay in photo-oxidation of polypropylene/clay multifilament yarns

Photo-oxidative degradation of polypropylene/clay multifilament yarns containing different amounts of clay was investigated. These samples and pure polypropylene(PP) multifilametns were exposed to long wavelength radiations(λ 300 nm) under atmospheric condition of constant temperature and relative humidity. The photo-oxidative stability was studied using FTIR spectroscopy, tensile testing and microscopy. The results indicate that the addition of clay particles decreases the stability of PP/clay composites to photo-oxidative degradation according to comparison with pure PP. From FTIR study and tensile properties, it was also found that the multifilaments with higher clay loading reveals a faster loss of mechanical properties, higher photo-oxidative product formation and more reduction in the induction time of photooxidation. Moreover, the crack formation on surface of irradiated filaments corresponds well to the conclusions in tensile properties and FTIR characterization.     

Comparative analysis of nanocomposites based on polypropylene and different montmorillonites

Nanocomposites of polypropylene (PP) were prepared by melt mixing using maleic anhydride modified polypropylene (PPg) and different organophilic montmorillonites (OMMT). The selected organo-modified clays differ in their initial particle size, amount and type of surfactant and/or their cation-exchange capacity. All composites have 80, 15 and 5 wt% of PP, PPg and OMMT, respectively. The materials were characterized using TGA, XRD, SEM and rotational rheometry. Cloisite 15A, Cloisite 93A, Nanomer I44 and a bentonite modified with octadecylammonium (B18) display intercalation and exfoliation after mixing and annealing and produce nanocomposites with different degrees of ‘solid-like’ rheological behavior. The composites based in Cloisite 15A and Nanomer I44, which use the same intercalant, show very similar phase structure and rheological response, regardless of the origin and initial characteristics of the clays. These nanocomposites are the most affected by the thermal history during rheological characterization in the molten state. On the other hand, Cloisite 10A and Cloisite 30B display collapse of the silicate layers after compounding with no evidence of exfoliation.     

The crystalline and mechanical properties of PLA/layered silicate degradable composites

The poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/montmorillonite (MMT) composites were prepared by melt blending in an internal mixer. The effect of MMT and organically modified MMT (OMMT) addition on crystallization and mechanical preferences has been studied. The DSC results show that the crystallization ability of PLA is improved by MMT or OMMT. The addition of MMT and OMMT increase the crystallinity of PLA from 27.3 to 32.8%, and the cold crystallization temperature (T_CC) of PLA decreases from 93.1 to 88.9°C with the MMT. However, the nucleating effect of MMT is better than that of OMMT due to the velvety surface resulted from the organic modification. The average size of the spherulites in PLA/MMT is smaller than that in PLA/OMMT. The addition of MMT or OMMT increases the tensile strength of PLA from 29.6 to 34.7 MPa and decrease the elongation at break of PLA. The modulus of PLA composites is enhanced rapidly from 338 to 660 MPa by the addition of MMT.     

Morphology and properties of nanostructured materials based on polypropylene/poly(butylene succinate) blend and organoclay

Nanostructured materials based on organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) and polypropylene (PP)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blend were prepared via melt-mixing of PP, PBS, and OMMT in a batch mixer. The weight ratio of PP and PBS was 70:30, and the OMMT loading varied from 0.5 to 5 wt%. The surface morphologies of unmodified and OMMT-modified blend were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the particle size of the dispersed PBS phase was significantly reduced with the addition of a small amount of OMMT (1.5 wt%). Upon the addition of 5 wt% of OMMT, the domain size of the dispersed PBS phase changed significantly from the unmodified blend, and a homogeneous dispersion of very fine particles of PBS was observed. The degree of dispersion of silicate layers in the blend matrix was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The improved adhesion between the phases and the fine morphology of the dispersed phase contributed to the significant improvement in the properties and thermal stability of the final nanocomposite materials. On the basis of these results, we describe a general understanding of how the morphology is related to the final properties of OMMT-incorporated PP/PBS blend.     

A new method combining modification of montmorillonite and crystal regulation to enhance the mechanical properties of polypropylene

This study focused on montmorillonite modification and crystal structure regulation, to prepare polypropylene/montmorillonite composites with high stiffness and toughness simultaneously. A kind of organic montmorillonite was prepared successfully through a new and simple method, which was introducing Fe³⁺ and stearic acid into interlamination of montmorillonite. The maximum interlayer spacing of organic montmorillonite could be expanded from 1.25 nm to 4.66 nm, and the organic montmorillonite formed an intercalated structure in matrix during melting process. The production of β crystal induced by TMB-5 could solve the problem of embrittlement. The reinforcing effect of montmorillonite combined with toughening of TMB-5 was expected to endow composite with balanced stiffness and toughness, presenting improvement simultaneous in the tensile modulus, flexural modulus and impact strength by 21.0%, 31.4%, 49.6% respectively compared to PP. This paper provided a new and facile method in modification of MMT and a strategy to optimize overall mechanical performance of nanocomposite.     

高抗冲聚苯乙烯/粘土纳米复合材料的制备、热稳定性及流变性能

用双螺杆挤出共混法制备了高抗冲聚苯乙烯 (HIPS) 有机蒙脱土 (Org MMT)插层纳米复合材料以及HIPS 无机蒙脱土 (MMT)常规复合材料 .分别用TGA和毛细管流变仪研究了它们的热性能与流变性能 ,并比较了两种结构材料的性能差异 .结果表明 ,纳米复合材料比纯HIPS和常规的复合材料具有更好的热稳定性和流动性 ,前者具有更强的剪切变稀行为 .此外 ,当蒙脱土达到纳米级分散时 ,复合材料的表面也变得更加平整光滑 .     

Effect of Montmorillonite on the Crystallization,Rheological and Physical Behavior of Polyamide-6/Polylactic Acid Blends

Organic montmorillonite (OMMT)/polyamide-6 (PA6)/polylactic acid (PLA) composites were prepared via a step melt compounding process using a twin screw. The effect of OMMT content on the crystallization behavior, as well as rheological and mechanical properties of the composites was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry, differential mechanical analysis, and using an advanced rheometer and a material testing machine. The crystallization behavior of the polymers was studied using a dynamic rheology method, which allowed to determine the onset of nucleation and obtain semiquantitative data on the nucleation density. The results revealed that the interaction between the OMMT and the PA6/PLA inhibits the molecular chain segment motion, which reduces the nucleation temperature, the crystal growth temperature, the melting temperature and the glass transition temperature of the samples. However, the PA6/PLA/OMMT composites showed better mechanical properties than the PA6/PLA composites.     

Preparation and crystallization behaviour of PP/PP-g-MAH/Org-MMT nanocomposite

The melt-direct intercalation method was employed to prepare polypropylene (PP)/maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH)/organic-montmorillonite (Org-MMT), X-ray diffractometer was used to investigate the intercalation effect and crystallite size in composites and TEM micrograph to observe the dispersion of Org-MMT interlayers in polypropylene. The results showed that by introducing maleated polypropylene in PP/Org-MMT composite, macromolecule segments had intercalated into interlayer space of Org-MMT. As a result, Org-MMT interlayers were dispersed evenly in polypropylene and PP/PP-g-MAH/Org-MMT nanocomposite was synthesized. The crystallite size of nanocomposite perpendicular to the crystalline plane such as (0 4 0), (1 3 0), (1 1 1), (0 4 1) is smaller than that of pristine PP, which indicated that the crystallite size of PP in nanocomposite can be diminished by adding PP-g-MAH and Org-MMT in PP. Moreover, the nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PP and PP/PP-g-MAH/Org-MMT nanocomposite was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with various cooling rates. The Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny, Ozawa method and a method developed by Liu were employed to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of these samples. The difference in the exponent n between PP and nanocomposite, indicated that nonisothermal kinetic crystallization corresponded to tridimensional growth with heterogeneous nucleation. The values of half-time, Z_c, F(T) and K(T) showed that the crystallization rate of composites was faster than that of PP at a given cooling rate.     

Effect of polystyrene-grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the viscoelastic behavior and electrical properties of polypropylene-based nanocomposites

In this work, a free-radical grafting method was used to modify multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) to improve their dispersion in a polymer matrix by use of a compounding technique. By free-radical grafting for in-situ polymerization, MWNT agglomerates are turned into a networked micro-structure, which in turn builds up a strong interfacial interaction with the polymeric matrix during the mixing procedure. Polystyrene (PS)-MWNT with a hairy rod nanostructure were synthesized by in-situ free-radical polymerization of styrene monomer on the surface of MWNT. PS-MWNT/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing. The effect of polystyrene-grafted multi-walled carbon nanotube (PS-MWNT) content on the rheological properties of the polypropylene (PP)-based nanocomposites was investigated. Surface characteristics of PS-MWNT were investigated by infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy (FT-Raman), thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The rheological properties of the PS-MWNT/PP composites were confirmed by rheometry. The complex viscosity of the PS-MWNT/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites increased with increasing PS-MWNT content, primarily because of an increase in the storage modulus G??. In-situ-polymerized PS-MWNT were uniformly distributed in the PP matrix. In addition, the PS-MWNT were interconnected in the PP matrix and then formed PS-MWNT networks, resulting in the formation of a conducting network. Therefore, compared with samples with pristine MWNT, PS-MWNT-reinforced samples have lower conductivity as a resulting of PS grafting on the surface of MWNT.     

Influence of thermal and UV treatment on the polypropylene/graphite composite

Electrically conductive polypropylene/graphite (PP/graphite) composites were prepared via blending granulated PP with maleic anhydride grafted PP and natural graphite. Electrical conductivity of prepared samples containing either 65, 70, or 75 wt% of graphite was measured and the most conductive sample containing 75 wt% of graphite was exposed to UV irradiation for 1 and 24 h or thermally treated at 170 °C for 1 h. The influence of thermal and UV exposure on the structural and electrical changes in such treated samples was studied. Local current measurements on the surface were made using scanning spreading resistance microscopy and morphology of the surface was studied by atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis, infrared and Raman spectroscopy were also used for the structural characterization. Properties of treated and untreated samples are compared and differences are discussed.