Effect of Comonomer Content on the Behavior of Propylene Copolymer/Compatibilizer/Clay Nanocomposites

Abstract

A set of isotactic propylene copolymers with either 1‐hexene or 1‐octadecene were synthesized using a metallocene catalyst, and their nanocomposites with 5 wt.‐% of clay and 15 wt.‐% of compatibilizer were prepared and characterized. Clay intercalation and dispertion depend on the comonomer content in the matrix which improves at high short‐chain‐branching levels. The presence of both clay and compatibilizer increased the crystallization temperature of the matrix. A strong correlation between the elastic modulus of the matrix and its relative increase in the nanocomposite was observed. By adding clay and compatibilizer to the copolymer, the modulus can be increased by a factor of two. The results open new perspectives in the understanding of the effect of polyolefin topology on nanocomposites properties.

Effect of montmorillonite on the crystallization and thermal degradation of poly(propylene-co- ethylene-co-1-butene) nanocomposites

“…However, there are very few works that consider PNCs based on RPCs and o-MMT. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The preparation of the majority of the polyolefin-based PNCs is done by melt intercalation. The mixing in the molten state technique has great advantages over other methods such as in situ polymerization or polymer-solution intercalation since it is environmentally friendly and compatible with current industrial processes.…”

“…Among the few cited works that study PNCs based on RPCs, only three analyze copolymers with relatively low comonomer content (<15 wt%). 11,12,14 Preschilla and coworkers 11 compared the morphology of nanocomposites prepared with three polypropylenes: an homopolymer (HPP), an RPC with ethylene content of 3 wt%, and a reactor-copolymerized ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) dispersed in PP matrix. They considered an organoclay loading of 6 wt% and a maleated PP (PPg) as compatibilizer in a PPg/o-MMT ratio of 1:1.…”

“…The results in this publication do not show clear trends in the thermal and tensile mechanical properties with the type of compatibilizer and/or clay concentration. Palza 12 synthesized a series of RPCs that have up to 8 wt% of 1-hexene or 1-octadecene. He used 5 wt% of Cloisite 15A and a commercial PPg with 0.6 wt% of maleic anhydride in a 3:1 ratio of compatibilizer/clay.…”

Effect of hydrothermally synthesized titanium nanotubes on the behaviour of polypropylene for antimicrobial applications

“…41 In similar systems, but with silica nanoparticles, the PP spherulite density also increases with the nanofiller, depending largely on particle morphology. 22 In particular, silica nanotubes give rise to the largest changes in morphology compared with other nanoparticles. Our results indicate that the nanotube filler increases the PP spherulite density, which is more pronounced with modified nanotubes.…”

“…Therefore, the high aspect ratio of nanotubes compared to nanospheres may have a positive effect on the final properties of the PP. 22 Considering the above, in the present work we study the organic modification of TiO 2 -Ntbs to improve their interaction with the non-polar matrix. The effect of different amounts of TiO 2 -Ntbs and modified TiO 2 -Ntbs (Mod-TiO 2 -Ntbs) on the thermal, mechanical and crystallization properties of PP was studied.…”