Influence of compatibilizer and processing conditions on morphology, mechanical properties, and deformation mechanism of PP/clay nanocomposite

Abstract

Polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposite was prepared by melt intercalation method using a twin-screw extruder with starve feeding system in this paper. The effects of compatibilizer, extruder rotor speed and feeding rate on properties of nanocomposite were investigated. Structure, tensile, and impact properties and deformation mechanism of the compounds were studied. For investigation of structure and deformation mechanisms, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission optical microscopy (TOM) techniques were utilized, respectively. The results illustrate that introduction of the compatibilizer and also variation of the processing conditions affect structure and mechanical properties of nanocomposite. Copyright © 2012 B. Akbari and R. Bagheri.