Mechanical properties and impact toughness of talc-filled β-crystalline phase polypropylene composites

Injection molded β-crystalline phase polypropylene (PP) composites containing 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40% (by weight) of talc filler were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, static tensile and falling drop weight impact tests. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the talc filler suppresses the formation of β-form PP dramatically. As a result, the β-PP composites containing talc content ≥20 wt% consisted mainly of the α-form PP phase. The tensile test showed that the addition of talc filler up to 40 wt% leads to an increase in Young's modulus whereas little effect is observed on the yield strength of composites with the addition of talc up to 30%. This behavior can be attributed to the load bearing effect of talc particles with a platelike structure and to good interfacial bonding exists between the matrix and filler. The impact tests revealed that the critical stain energy release rate (G_c) of the β-PP polymers appears to increase initially with the addition of 5 wt% talc; thereafter it decreases significantly with increasing talc content.     

Influence of stearic acid treatment of filler particles on the structure and properties of ternary‐phase polypropylene composites

In this study, ternary‐phase polypropylene (PP) composites containing an ethylene–octene copolymer (EOR) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) were investigated. Particular consideration was given to the influence of stearic acid treatment of the filler on the phase morphology and mechanical properties of the composites. In composites containing an uncoated filler, a separate dispersion of the elastomer and filler particles in the PP matrix was observed. The use of filler treated with stearic acid had no effect either on the dispersion or the interaction of the filler and the polymer components. However, the surface‐treated filler was found to promote the β‐hexagonal crystallization of PP and gave a composite with lower T_{c onset} and T_c values. As a consequence, differences in mechanical properties, in particular, impact strength, were exhibited in which calcium carbonate with stearic acid treatment was apparently more effective in increasing the impact strength of the composites in comparison with the composites containing the uncoated filler. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3445–3454, 1999     

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of calcium carbonate-filled β-crystalline phase polypropylene composites

The non-isothermal crystallization behaviour of high purity β-phase and α-phase polypropylene (PP) and their calcium carbonate-filled composites was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry. High purity β-PP polymer was prepared by adding an effective β-nucleator consisting of equal amounts of pimelic acid and calcium stearate. The crystallization temperature and crystallization rate coefficient of pure β-PP polymer were considerably higher than those of the α-PP polymer. This was due to the β-PP polymer containing nucleating agents, which act as nuclei for β-spherulites. The calcium carbonate content had little or no effect on the crystallization rate coefficient and Ozawa exponent of the β-phase PP in the composites. On the other hand, the crystallization temperature, crystallization rate coefficient and Ozawa exponent of the α-phase PP composites depended on the calcium carbonate loading. The effect of calcium carbonate additions on the crystallization of α-PP and β-PP is discussed. ©1997 SCI     

Crystallization of i-PP/CaCO3 Composites and its Correlation with Tensile Properties

Abstract

Investigation of crystallization behaviour of isoatactic polypropylene (i-PP) in i-PP/CaCO₃ composites is carried out through Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray diffraction measurements. The effect of CaCO₃ and its surface treatment with titanate coupling agent on nucleation and growth rate of crystallization, crystallite size distribution and crystallinity, is determined from exothermic crystallization peaks of the composites. The filler concentration dependence of crystallinity determined by both the techniques shows good qualitative agreement. Tensile properties viz. tensile modulus, yield stress and elongation were also measured as functions of filler concentration for both untreated and treated CaCO₃ filled composites. Crystallinity, tensile strength and elongation decreased with increasing filler content in both the cases whereas tensile modulus increased. Crystallization parameters have been correlated with the tensile properties of i-PP/CaCO₃ composites.     

Crystallization behavior and melting characteristics of PP nucleated by a novel supported β-nucleating agent

The β-nucleated PP with high β-PP content was prepared by a novel supported β-nucleating agent, which was prepared with pimelic acid supported on nano-CaCO₃ as support. The influences of the content of the support and supported β-nucleating agent, pre-melting temperature (T_melt) and scan rates on crystallization behavior and melting characteristics, and the β-PP content of β-nucleated PP were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD). The results indicated that the addition of supported β-nucleating agent markedly increased the crystallization temperature (T_c) of PP. Increasing the content of supported β-nucleating agent slightly increased the T_c, but had no influence on the melting temperatures (T_m) of β-nucleated PP. The T_c and T_m of β-nucleated PP decreased slightly with increasing the content of the support nano-CaCO₃. The effects of scan rates and multiple scans with different T_melt on the crystallization and melting behavior of PP nucleated by supported β-nucleating agent are similar to that of PP nucleated by calcium pimelate (CaHA). The β-PP content above 90 percent was obtained in PP nucleated by supported β-nucleating agent and was not influenced by the content of nano-CaCO₃. The supported β-nucleating agent prepared by supporting pimelic acid on nano-CaCO₃ is a β-nucleating agent with high efficiency and selectivity, and low cost.     

Filling and coloring effect of pearl shell powder and dye-loaded pearl shell powder on polypropylene

Dye-loaded shell powder (DPSP), as a novel filler and pigment, was fabricated from pearl shell powder (PSP) and Direct Red 28. PSP (mean diameter of 1.94 μm) and DPSP (mean diameter of 1.62 μm) were individually incorporated into polypropylene (PP), and the mechanical, crystallization, and color properties of PSP/PP and DPSP/PP composites were investigated. As compared to PSP, DPSP exhibited superior reinforcing and toughening effects on PP, due to the ameliorated filler–polymer interfacial interaction. The optimal additive amount of DPSP was determined as 10 wt %, under which the tensile strength of PP was raised from 33.17 to 35.37 MPa, flexural strength from 41.16 to 44.35 MPa, and impact strength from 3.77 to 5.98 kJ/m². In comparison with PSP/PP, higher content of β-PP phase was confirmed in DPSP/PP composites. Furthermore, uniform redness distribution was achieved in DPSP/PP specimens, demonstrating the good coloration performance of DPSP. The results indicated that DPSP can be utilized for coloration and filling modification of polymers. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47455     

Effects of Durian Seed Flour on Processing Torque,Tensile, Thermal and Biodegradation Properties of Polypropylene and High Density Polyethylene Composites

Composites containing various percentage of durian seed flour (DSF) in the polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) have been compounded using an internal mixer. The processing torque, tensile, thermal and biodegradation properties have been determined. The incorporation of DSF increases stabilization torque and had adversely affected the mechanical properties by reducing the tensile strength and elongation at break, while the elastic modulus is increased, as starch content increases. At similar filler content, DSF filled PP showed higher tensile strength and elastic modulus, while lower in elongation at break than DSF-filled HDPE. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of tensile fracture specimens revealed good adhesion and dispersion of the DSF granules in the polymer matrix. However, the SEM results showed agglomeration of the DSF at higher filler content in the polymer and hence revealed poor wetting between DSF granules and polymer. The TGA results showed that both of the composites systems with higher filler content have higher initial degradation temperatures, T₀, degradation temperatures, T_deg and total weight loss. A simple biodegradability test conducted on each composite system shows that composites are subjected to biodegradation, judging by the significant increase in carbonyl and hydroxyl index of the composites after the test.     

An investigation on the mechanical and dynamic rheological properties of single and hybrid filler/polypropylene composites based on talc and calcium carbonate

Some results of experiments on the mechanical and rheological properties of mineral filled polypropylene were presented. Single filler and hybrid filler composites of talc and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) were prepared in a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder. The effect of filler type, filler content, and coupling agent on the mechanical and rheological properties of the polypropylene were studied. The coupling agent was maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MA). It was found that the mechanical properties are affected by filler type, filler concentration, and the interaction between filler and matrix. The tensile strength of the composite is more affected by the talc while the impact strength is influenced mostly by CaCO₃ content. The elongation at break of PP/CaCO₃ composites was higher than that of PP/talc composites. The incorporation of coupling agent into PP/mineral filler composites increased the mechanical properties. Rheological properties indicated that the complex viscosity and storage modulus of talc filled samples were higher than those of calcium carbonate filled samples while the tan δ was lower. The rheological properties of hybrid‐filler filled sample were more affected by the talc than calcium carbonate. The PP‐g‐MA increased the complex viscosity and storage modulus of both single and hybrid composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Instrumented tensile and falling weight impact response of injection-molded α- and β-phase polypropylene homopolymers with various melt flow indices

In this study the instrumented tensile (ITI) and falling weight impact (IFWI) behavior of injection-molded α- and β-phase polypropylene (PP) homopolymers were compared at ambient temperature in a broad melt flow index (MFI = 0.7–13 dg/min) range. It was found that the toughness of β-PP is superior to the α-PP: the difference between them increased with decreasing MFI or increasing molecular weight (MW). As expected, the injection molding induced skin layer thickness increased with increasing MW. Effects of the skin-core morphology were deduced indirectly by considering the results achieved on specimens molded at low and high injection speeds (v_inj = 6 and 150 mm/s), respectively. It was found that the effect of the skin-core structure is markedly stronger under uniaxial in-plane (i.e., ITI) than in biaxial out-of-plane type loading (i.e., IFWI). © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 1205–1214, 1999     

Dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene composites filled with ultrafine particles

The dynamic moduli of isotactic polypropylene (PP) filled with ultrafine SiO₂ and micron sized glass particles are measured in the temperature range 30–130°C at frequency 10 Hz. The storage moduli of PP composites, E′_c, increase with filler content and decreasing filler size in the whole range of temperature. The loss moduli of PP composites, E″_c, increase with filler content and decreasing filler size above 40°C. The intensity of the broad despersion which appears at ca. 60°C increases with filler content and decreasing filler size. By assuming that the energy is not dissipated in the effective volume, namely, filler volume plus that of immobilized interfacial region, the effective volume fraction is evaluated from the relative loss modulus, E″_cE″₀ at 60°C. The effective volume fraction increases with filler content and decreasing filler size. The effect of addition of ultrafine particles on the broad dispersion at ca. 60°C resembles the effect of increasing crystallinity of pure PP. It is concluded that the broad dispersion which appeared at ca. 60°C seemed to be assigned to the grain boundary of PP composities or crystalline boundary of pure PP.     

The influence of filler treatment on the properties of TPU/PP blends: I. Thermal properties and stability

Commercially available organosilane (3‐glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS)) coupling agent was used to treat talc in order to improve the affinity relative between the filler and the polymer in composites as well as filler and polymer in the thermoplastic polyurethane/polypropylene (TPU/PP) blends (talc content was 5 wt%). The talc particles were first modified with GPTMS and then introduced into TPU, PP as well as TPU/PP blends with different weight ratios of polymers using blending method and subsequently injection molded in a hydraulic press. The aim was to report the effect of silane coupling agent on the thermal and morphological properties of talc filled composites and blends. The results showed that the thermal properties of the TPU, PP composites and TPU/PP blends were improved with the addition of silane treated talc (higher melting (T_m), crystallization (T_c) temperatures and degree of crystallinity (χ_c)). The glass transition temperature (T_g) obtained by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the TPU soft segments in TPU/PP blends increased with the addition of untreated and silane treated talc due to lower mobility of the soft segments in TPU and better miscibility of TPU and PP. TPU/PP blends with the silane treated talc show better thermal stability than the TPU/PP blends with untreated talc. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1920–1930, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of the molecular weight of poly(ethylene glycol), used for the surface treatment of calcium carbonate,on the tensile modulus of filled oriented polypropylene

A relation between tensile modulus of oriented polypropylene filled with calcium carbonate, and modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or alkyl phenyl ether derivatives (APED) of different molecular weights was investigated. Upon stressing, voids appear in the composites material. For systems prepared with unmodified CaCO₃, the void volume increases with an increase of filler content. For systems containing modified CaCO₃, the void volume is smaller than the one of the reference material and decreases with an increase of PEG or APED molecular weights (which range from 400 to 4000 for PEG). Moreover, the relative modulus of oriented composites, E^d_c/E^d_r, are reasonably accounted by the void volume irrespective of filler content and modifier molecular weight, wherein E^d_c, E^d_r are respectively the modulus of oriented composites and the modulus of oriented polymer matrix.     

Tensile properties and morphology of PP/EPDM/glass bead ternary composites

The tensile properties of three types of injection molded glass bead (GB) filled polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) ternary composites have been determined at room temperature by using an Instron materials testing machine. The effects of the filler surface treatment, the glass bead (GBI) pretreated with a silane coupling agent and the EPDM (EPDM-MA) modified with a maleic anhydride, and the filler content on the tensile mechanical properties of the ternary PP composites have been investigated. The Young's modulus (E_c) increases while the yield stress (σ_yc) and tensile fracture strength (σ_bc) of the composites decrease with increasing the volume fraction of glass beads (ϕ_g) when the volume fraction of EPDM is constant (ϕ_e = 10%). The (E_c) values of PP/EPDM/GBI and ϵ_bc for PP/EPDM-MA/GB2 (no surface pretreated) systems are the highest at the same ϕ_g. The tensile fracture energy (E_bc) and tensile fracture strain (ϵ_bc) of PP/EPDM/GBI and PP/EPDM/GB2 systems appear to peak at ϕ_g = 25%. However, the E_bc and ϵ_bc of PP/EPDM-MA/GB2 system show little changes with increasing ϕ_g. The fracture surfaces of ternary composites have been examined in a scanning electron microscope. The correlation between the tensile properties and morphologies of these materials have been discussed.     

Mechanical properties of modified biofiller‐polypropylene composites

This article reports the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of polypropylene (PP)‐chicken eggshell (ES) composites. Mechanical properties like tensile strength, tensile modulus, izod impact strength, flexural modulus of PP composites with normal (unmodified) eggshell and chemically treated ES [modified ES (MES) with isophthalic acid] have been investigated. PP–calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) composites, at the same filler loadings, were also prepared and used as reference. The results showed that PP composites with chemically MES had better mechanical properties compared to the unmodified ES and CaCO₃ composites. An increase of about 3–18% in tensile modulus, 4–44% in izod impact strength and 1.5–26% in flexural modulus at different filler loading was observed in MES composites as compared to unmodified ES composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of fractured tensile specimens confirmed better interfacial adhesion of MES with polymer matrix resulting into lower voids and plastic deformation resulting in improved mechanicals of the composites. TEM micrographs showed acicular needle shaped morphology for modified ES and have contributed to better dispersion which is the prime reason for enhancement of all the mechanical properties. At higher filler loading, the modulus of MES composite was found to be higher by 5% as compared to commercial CaCO₃ composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:708–714, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of filler content and surface treatment on the tensile properties of glass‐bead‐filled polypropylene composites

The tensile properties of polypropylene (PP) filled with two A‐glass beads with the same size, PP/3000 (glass bead surface pretreated with a silane coupling agent) and PP/3000U (no surface pretreatment), have been measured by using an Instron materials testing machine at room temperature, to identify the effects of the filler surface pretreatment and its content on the tensile properties of these composites. The results show that the Young's modulus E_c of the composites increases non‐linearly with increasing volume fraction of glass beads ϕ_f, while the tensile yield strength σ_yc and tensile stress at break σ_bc of the composites decrease with an increase of ϕ_f, in the ϕ_f range 0–30%. Furthermore, the values of E_c and σ_bc of the PP/3000 system are somewhat higher than those of the PP/3000U system under the same test conditions, but this is in contrast to the tensile strain at break ε_bc and tensile fracture energy E_bc, especially at higher ϕ_f values. Good agreement is shown between the measured tensile strength and the predicted value by using an equation proposed in previous work. In addition, ε_bc and E_bc reach maximum values at ϕ_f = 25% for both systems. This indicates that there is a brittle–ductile transition for the composites in tension. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical properties and morphology of glass bead–filled polypropylene composites

The effects of the filler content and size on the mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, E_c, yield strength, σ_yc, and impact strength, S_IC, of glass bead–filled polypropylene (PP) composites have been investigated employing an Instron materials tester and a Ceast impact tester at room temperature. With increasing concentration of glass beads, E_c and S_IC increase, but σ_yc decreases non–linearly, within a filler volume fraction range of 0%−20%; under the same test conditions, the values of E_C and σ_yc for PP with bigger beads are somewhat lower than those of PP with smaller ones; the maximum values of S_IC for the composites are about 1.4 times as high as the unfilled PP; the interface between the matrix and the beads is a weak bond. The results indicate that the stiffness and the toughness of the PP composites are effectively improved by addition of glass beads.     

Crystallization and melting behavior of nano‐CaCO3/polypropylene composites modified by acrylic acid

Nano‐CaCO₃/polypropylene (PP) composites modified with polypropylene grafted with acrylic acid (PP‐g‐AA) or acrylic acid with and without dicumyl peroxide (DCP) were prepared by a twin‐screw extruder. The crystallization and melting behavior of PP in the composites were investigated by DSC. The experimental results showed that the crystallization temperature of PP in the composites increased with increasing nano‐CaCO₃ content. Addition of PP‐g‐AA further increased the crystallization temperatures of PP in the composites. It is suggested that PP‐g‐AA could improve the nucleation effect of nano‐CaCO₃. However, the improvement in the nucleation effect of nano‐CaCO₃ would be saturated when the PP‐g‐AA content of 5 phf (parts per hundred based on weight of filler) was used. The increase in the crystallization temperature of PP was observed by adding AA into the composites and the crystallization temperature of the composites increased with increasing AA content. It is suggested that the AA reacted with nano‐CaCO₃ and the formation of Ca(AA)₂ promoted the nucleation of PP. In the presence of DCP, the increment of the AA content had no significant influence on the crystallization temperature of PP in the composites. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2443–2453, 2004     

Effect of Al2O3 addition on thermo‐electrical properties of polymer composites: An experimental investigation

To develop a new class of composites with adequately high thermal conductivity and suitably controlled dielectric constant for electronic packages and printed circuit board applications, polymer composites are prepared with microsized Al₂O₃ particle as filler having an average particle size of 80–100 μm. Epoxy and polypropylene (PP) are chosen as matrix materials for this study. Fabrication of epoxy‐based composite is done by hand lay‐up technique and its counterpart PP‐based composite are fabricated by compression molding technique with filler content ranging from 2.5–25 vol%. Effects of filler loading on various thermal properties like effective thermal conductivity (k_eff), glass transition temperature (T_g), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and electrical property like dielectric constant (ε_c) of composites are investigated experimentally. In addition, physical properties like density and void fraction of the composites along with there morphological features are also studied. The experimental findings obtained under controlled laboratory conditions are interpreted using appropriate theoretical models. Results show that with addition of 25 vol% of Al₂O₃, k_eff of epoxy and PP improve by 482% and 498% respectively, T_g of epoxy increases from 98°C to 116°C and that of PP increases from −14.9°C to 3.4°C. For maximum filler loading of 25 vol% the CTE decreases by 14.8% and 26.4% for epoxy and PP respectively whereas the dielectric constants of the composites get suitably controlled simultaneously. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:102–112, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Interfacial interaction in AI(OH)3/polypropylene composites modified by insitu‐functionalized polypropylene

To investigate the interfacial interaction of AI(OH)₃/polypropylene (PP) composites modified by in situ‐functionalized polypropylene (FPP), AI(OH)₃/polypropylene (PP) composites containing a low AI(OH)₃ content, modified by in situ‐grafted acrylic acid, were prepared by a one‐step melt‐extrusion process. The effect of in situ FPP on the crystallization and melting behavior, crystalline morphology of the composites, and interfacial interaction between the filler and PP was investigated. The crystallization and melting behavior and crystalline morphology of PP in the composites depended upon the interfacial physical [heterogeneous nucleation of AI(OH)₃; cocrystallization and compabilitization of PP with in situ FPP] and the interfacial chemical interaction between both the components in the composites. FTIR results indicated that there exists a chemical reaction between AI(OH)₃ and in situ FPP. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 110–120, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10270     

Crosslinkable polypropylene composites made by the introduction of silane moieties

Silane‐crosslinkable polypropylene (PP) composites containing calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) as a filler have been investigated. The melt grafting of vinyl trimethoxysilane to PP with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a radical initiator is demonstrated. The thermal and mechanical properties of the crosslinkable products are also discussed. The results show that two reactions, that is, silane grafting and PP degradation, take place in parallel. The extents of silane grafting and PP degradation strongly depend on the reaction temperature, grafting formulation, and amount of the filler in the systems. Increasing the DCP concentration (up to 0.05 wt %) leads to an increase in the grafting degree. However, when the concentration of radicals is over a certain degree, the dominant reaction is PP chain scission. This results in a drastic decrease in the polymer viscosity. In systems containing both silane and CaCO₃, the viscosity of the polymer is higher than that of a grafted sample without CaCO₃ addition; in other words, the effect of the filler on the polymer viscosity compensates for the effect caused by PP degradation. Differential scanning calorimetry results show that the crystallization starts earlier for grafted samples. The percentage of the crystallinity of grafted PP is higher than that of the pure polymer. The incorporated silane does not have a strong effect on the mobility of the PP chains, as revealed by dynamic mechanical analysis. In comparison with ungrafted composites, the silane‐crosslinkable products show higher tensile stress and modulus. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 1476–1483, 2005