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.