Polymer/montmorillonite nanocomposites with improved thermal properties Part I. Factors influencing thermal stability and mechanisms of thermal stability improvement

Polymer/montmorillonite nanocomposites with improved thermal properties: Part II. Thermal stability of montmorillonite nanocomposites based on different polymeric matrixes

Halloysite nanotubes as a novel β-nucleating agent for isotactic polypropylene

Effect of processing conditions on morphology and mechanical properties of compatibilized polypropylene nanocomposites

Development of new polyolefin films with nanoclays for application in food packaging

How organo-montmorillonite truly affects the structure and properties of polypropylene

Preparation and structure of highly confined intercalated polystyrene/montmorillonite nanocomposite via a two-step method

Polypropylene/organic-montmorillonite (PP/OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared via a solid-phase PP graft (TMPP) with a higher grafting level as the compatibilizer. The effects of the compatibilizer on the structure and properties of PP/OMMT nanocomposites were investigated. The structure of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that when the weight ratio of TMPP and OMMT is greater than 1:1, the OMMT can be dispersed in PP matrix uniformly at the nanoscale. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites reached a maximum when the weight ratio of TMPP and OMMT is 1:1, although more uniform dispersion was achieved at a higher content of TMPP. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites decrease with the content of TMPP. The crystallization behavior, dynamic rheological property, and thermal stability of the nanocomposites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic rheological analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Due to the synergistic effects of TMPP and OMMT on the crystallization of PP, the crystallization peak temperature of the nanocomposites increased remarkably compared with that of the neat PP. TMPP shows β-phase nucleating ability and OMMT promotes the development of β-phase crystallite. The nanocomposites show restricted melt flow and enhanced temperature sensitivity compared with the neat PP. The thermal stability of the nanocomposites is obviously improved compared with that of the neat PP. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.

Structure and properties of polypropylene/clay nanocomposites compatibilized by solid‐phase grafted polypropylene

The ternary graft copolymers were synthesized by solid-phase grafting maleic anhydride (MAH), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) onto polypropylene (PP), and applied in the interfacial modification of the PP/Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) composites. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the structure of the ternary graft copolymers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic rheological testing were used to investigate the morphology and the properties of the composites. FTIR results confirmed the occurrence of the solid-phase graft copolymerization, and SEM exhibited the improvement of the compatibility between PP and CaCO3 by PPTM. The properties testing showed that PPTM significantly contributed to the reinforcement of the composites in terms of mechanical properties, thermal properties, and rheological properties by acting as interfacial modifiers and plasticizers. The preferable load...

Influences of Ternary Graft Copolymers on the Morphology and Properties of Polypropylene/Calcium Carbonate Composites

Nanocomposites of polypropylene (PP) and montmorillonites (MMT) were prepared by solid-phase grafting reactive organomontmorillonite (ROMT) and polar monomers onto powdered PP and melt-blending granule PP with the master batches as PP/MMT grafting copolymers (PPMG). The structure and properties of the PP/MMT nanocomposites (PPMN) were investigated by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. GPC showed that the numerical molecular weight and polydispersity of the graft copolymers of PPMG were approximately 4793 and 2.197, respectively. FTIR confirmed the solid-phase graft copolymerization. XRD and TEM indicated the formation of the exfoliated, layered silicates (tactoids). The mole ratio of compound alkylammoniums and the exothermic enthalpy from solid-phase graft copolymerization played key roles in the formation of tactoids. The optimum mole ratio of organophilic alkylammonium to reactive alkylammonium was 3 : 1. The mechanical and thermal properties increased with the contents of PPMG, and a preferable state was achieved at approximately 8 phr PPMG (parts of reagent per 100 parts of PP) because of the plastification of the exfoliated silicates and the graft copolymers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3889–3899, 2006

Chao Ding

Papers

How organo-montmorillonite truly affects the structure and properties of polypropylene

Preparation and structure of highly confined intercalated polystyrene/montmorillonite nanocomposite via a two-step method

Structure and properties of polypropylene/clay nanocomposites compatibilized by solid‐phase grafted polypropylene

Influences of Ternary Graft Copolymers on the Morphology and Properties of Polypropylene/Calcium Carbonate Composites

Preparation of polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites with an exfoliated structure by a designed route