Development of Polypropylene-Based Single-Polymer Composites With Blends of Amorphous Poly-Alpha-Olefin and Random Polypropylene Copolymer

Abstract

We developed polypropylene-based single-polymer composites (PP-SPC) with blends of amorphous poly-alpha-olefin (APAO) and random polypropylene copolymer (rPP) as matrix material and polypropylene (PP) woven fabric as reinforcement. Our goal was to utilize the lower melting temperature of APAO/rPP blends to increase the consolidation of the composites and decrease the heat load of the PP reinforcement. We produced the composites by film-stacking at 160 °C, and characterized the composites with density, peel, static tensile and dynamic falling weight impact tests, and by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that consolidation can be enhanced by increasing the APAO content of the matrix. We found that the APAO content of 50% is optimal for tensile properties. With increasing APAO content, the perforation energy decreased, but even the well-consolidated composites showed very high perforation energy. In the case of a pure APAO matrix, fiber content can be increased up to 80 wt% without a severe loss of consolidation, resulting in good tensile properties. The PP-SPCs developed possessed excellent mechanical properties, and well-consolidated composites can be produced with APAO/rPP blends as a matrix with high fiber content.

Role of Extruded Sheet Morphology in Phase Separation and Final Morphology of Superhydrophobic Polypropylene

“…According to the recommendations, VP 792 and VP703 might improve the elongation at break of the blend [34].…”

Plasticization Efficiency and Characteristics of Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Low-Molecular-Weight Polysaccharides for Starch-Based Materials

“…For example, low-molecular-weight amorphous random aPP has been used as a toughness agent for isotactic iPP. 24,25 Actually, a few of LMWPs, specifically monosaccharides, such as glucose with glycerol have been used in starchbased materials as plasticizers or toughness agents. 20,26−28 For example, Zhang and Han 20 have found that polyol-plasticized films had lower T g than the monosaccharide-plasticized (glucose, mannose, and fructose).…”

“…The concept of the application of low molecular weight chemicals with the same chemical compounds as toughness agents has been developed previously. For example, low-molecular-weight amorphous random aPP has been used as a toughness agent for isotactic iPP. , Actually, a few of LMWPs, specifically monosaccharides, such as glucose with glycerol have been used in starch-based materials as plasticizers or toughness agents. ,− For example, Zhang and Han have found that polyol-plasticized films had lower T g than the monosaccharide-plasticized (glucose, mannose, and fructose). Recently, Gao et al studied the co-plasticizer of glycerol with sugar and found that the relative crystallinity of the films decreased after the addition of sugars.…”

The Multiple Uses of Polypropylene/Polyethylene Terephthalate Microfibrillar Composite Structures to Support Waste Management—Composite Processing and Properties

“…Bumper covers due to traffic accidents are considered the most commonly replaced car body parts [ 4 ]. Most polymer bumpers are based on glass fiber-reinforced composites, using polypropylene (PP) or other plastics such as polycarbonate (PC), polycarbonate (PC)/polybutylene perephthalate (PBT), and rubber toughened PP as the matrix [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Bumper bars are generally designed to absorb impact energy generated from low-speed impacts (toughened polyolefin (PO) blends or even polyurethane (PU)) [ 10 ].…”