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Reactive extrusion processing of polypropylene/TiO 2 nanocomposites by in situ synthesis of the nanofillers: Experiments and modeling
Author(s) -
Bahloul Walid,
Oddes Olivier,
BounorLegaré Véronique,
Mélis Flavien,
Cassagnau Philippe,
Vergnes Bruno
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.12425
Subject(s) - polypropylene , nanocomposite , materials science , reactive extrusion , titanium dioxide , extrusion , chemical engineering , hydrolysis , condensation , titanium , sol gel , composite material , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , metallurgy , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
The effects of twin‐screw extrusion processing conditions upon the formation of polypropylene/titanium dioxide (PP/TiO 2 ) nanocomposites are investigated. To prepare PP/TiO 2 nanocomposites by limiting the problem of filler dispersion at the nanoscale, an original method was developed based on the creation of TiO 2 through hydrolysis–condensation reactions (sol–gel method) of titanium n ‐butoxide precursor during PP extrusion. The feed rate, the screw speed, and the amount of inorganic precursor were varied independently. The conversion rate of precursor as a function of process parameters was quantified by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy combined techniques through the assessment of the alcohol formed. The effects of processing conditions on the development of the sol–gel reaction have also been investigated by using numerical simulations. The comparison between experimental and theoretical results shows that this simulation approach is relevant to predict the conversion of the inorganic precursor to TiO 2 through hydrolysis–condensation reactions in molten PP. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011