This research examines the effect of a microsize/nanosize talc filler on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of filled polypropylene (108MF10 and 33MBTU from Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and HE125MO grade from Borealis) composite matrices. A range of mechanical properties were measured [tensile properties, bending properties, fracture toughness, notched impact strength (at the ambient temperature and À20 C), strain at break, and impact strength] along with microhardness testing and thermal stability testing from 40 to 600 C as measured by differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Increasing filler content lead to an increase in the mechanical strength of the composite material with a simultaneous decrease in the fracture toughness. The observed increase in tensile strength ranged from 15 to 25% (the maximum tensile strength at break was found to be 22 MPa). The increase in mechanical strength simultaneously led to a higher brittleness, which was reflected in a decrease in the mean impact strength from the initial 18 kJ/m 2 (for the virgin polypropylene sample) to 14 kJ/m 2 , that is, a 23% decrease. A similar dependency was also obtained for the samples conditioned at À20C (a decrease of 12.5%). With increasing degree of filling of the talc-polypropylene composite matrix, the thermooxidative stability increased; the highest magnitude was obtained for the 20 wt % sample (decomposition temperature ¼ 482 C, cf. 392 C for the virgin polymer).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.