Property enhancement in polypropylene ternary blend nanocomposites via a novel poly(ethylene oxide)‐grafted polystyrene‐block‐poly(ethylene/butylene)‐block‐polystyrene toughener–compatibilizer system

Abstract

Synthesis and characterization of a novel toughener-compatibilizer for polypropylene (PP)-montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were conducted to provide enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blocks were synthetically grafted onto maleic anhydride-grafted polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene/butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS-g-MA). Special attention was paid to emphasize the effect of PEO-grafted SEBS (SEBS-g-PEO) against SEBS-g-MA on morphology, static/dynamic mechanical properties and surface hydrophilicity of the resultant blends and nanocomposites. It was found that the silicate layers of neat MMT are well separated by PEO chains chemically bonded to nonpolar SEBS polymer without needing any organophilic modification of the clay as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses. From scanning electron microscopy analyses, elastomeric domains interacting with MMT layers via PEO sites were foundto be distributed in the PP matrix with higher number and smaller sizes than the corresponding blend. As a benefit of PEO grafting, SEBS-g-PEO-containing nanocomposite exhibited not only higher toughness/impact strength but also increased creep recovery, as compared to corresponding SEBS-g-MA-containing nanocomposite and neat PP. The damping parameter of the same nanocomposite was also found to be high in a broad range of temperatures as another advantage of the SEBS-g-PEO toughener-compatibilizer. The water contact angles of the blends and nanocomposites were found to be lower than that of neat hydrophobic PP which is desirable for finishing processes such as dyeing and coating.

Dynamic and static mechanical properties of PP/EVA blend nanocomposites: Effects of type of masterbatch preparation technique and nature of compatibilizer

“…This can be ascribed to the core-shell morphology obtained by the masterbatch preparation (MM and SM) methods. 11,31 The impact resistance values of 3H3ECO(6EVA)-MM and 3H3ECO(6EVA)-SM composites (25.0 J/m and 26 J/m, respectively) (Table 3) were found to be higher than that (23.45 J/m) of the 3H3ECO(6EVA) composite produced in one-step. 4 This result can be explained by the positive effect of the core-shell morphology on force-damping/energy- absorbing property of the material.…”

“…In the literature, the formation of such core-shell elastomeric units was reported in different polymer mixtures and reported to cause enhanced toughness values. 11,31…”

Design of super‐tough and antibacterialPPR/nano‐ZnOcomposites based on the excellent dispersion ofZnOparticles

“…In addition, to increase the compatibility of the two phase, adding a graft-type compatibilizer was also a commonly used method. [37][38][39] In fact, there are many methods for dispersing ZnO particles, and different systems need to use appropriate dispersing methods to achieve optimal dispersion.…”

Effects of EVA-g-MA and EVACO compatibilizers/tougheners on morphological and mechanical properties of PP/EVA/HNT blend polymer nanocomposites

“…The balance between hardness and toughness leading to optimized mechanical performance can be achieved by tuning the filler/elastomer ratio in the composites. 21,22…”

“…The balance between hardness and toughness leading to optimized mechanical performance can be achieved by tuning the filler/elastomer ratio in the composites. 21,22 In order to enhance impact resistance of PP at low temperatures, some studies have been carried out to prepare PP blends with elastomers such as ethylenevinyl acetate (EVA) and PP nanocomposites containing different nanoclays and EVA. 23,24 Nanoclay-reinforced PP/EVA blend nanocomposites have been reported to require compatibilizers such as PP-g-MA, due to differences in polarity of PP and EVA and their immiscibility.…”