Photo-oxidation of Polypropylene/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites. 1. Influence of Nanoclay and Compatibilizing Agent

Abstract

The photo-oxidation of polypropylene/montmorillonite nanocomposites has been studied under irradiation at long wavelengths (λ > 300 nm) at 60 °C and in the presence of oxygen. The chemical modifications resulting from photo-oxidation were followed by IR and UVvisible spectroscopies for each component of these nanocomposites polypropylene (PP), organomodified montmorillonite (MMt), and the compatibilizing agent (maleic anhydride-graftedpolypropylene). We have found that the mechanism of photo-oxidation of the polypropylene component was not modified in the polymer-nanocomposite, but that the rates of oxidation were modified, leading to an unexpected decrease of the durability of the material.

Advances in Polypropylene Based Materials

“…PP/clay nanocomposites are being produced by GM, Montell, Nanocor and SCP, mainly suitable for automotive, construction and packaging applications. An important issue for industrial application of PP/clay nanocomposites is also their environmental durability, an issue widely reviewed in the literature, but still without undivided conclusion [199][200][201][202][203].…”

Photodegradation of a polypropylene filled with lanthanide complexes

“…By using FTIR spectroscopy, it is easy to identify the degradation products generated by macroradical oxidation. In previous researches [32,33] , it was shown that the photo-degradation of PP causes mainly the formation of hydroperoxides and carbonyls easily observed in the wavenumber ranges [3200-3600 cm -1 ] and [1700-1800 cm…”

Comparative study of filler influence on polylactide photooxidation

“…The resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light is a key factor for most outdoor applications of polymeric materials. In the last few years, the impact of light on polymer/clay nanocomposites has been studied [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The clay nanocomposites show a significant reduction of the oxidation induction time (OIT).…”

“…The clay nanocomposites show a significant reduction of the oxidation induction time (OIT). In a previous series of papers concerning the photooxidation of montmorillonite/polypropylene [13][14][15] several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the oxidative degradation of these materials. The reduction of the OIT could result from the adsorption of antioxidants onto the nanofiller, and/or a catalytic effect of transition metal impurities of nanofillers, and also from additional initiation routes due to the oxidation of the organic modifiers in the nanofillers.…”

“…The reduction of the OIT could result from the adsorption of antioxidants onto the nanofiller, and/or a catalytic effect of transition metal impurities of nanofillers, and also from additional initiation routes due to the oxidation of the organic modifiers in the nanofillers. The most probable hypothesis was the presence of interactions between the nanofillers and the stabilizers: the antioxidants can be adsorbed on the nanofillers thus preventing their protective action [13][14][15][16][17][18]. In a previous article the photo-oxidation mechanism of PLA [19] was investigated.…”