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Modification of polypropylene and polypropylene/ fibrous cellulose composites by the addition of poly(ethylene oxide)
Author(s) -
Nakatani Hisayuki,
Miyazaki Kensuke
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.29623
Subject(s) - materials science , polypropylene , ultimate tensile strength , composite material , composite number , ethylene oxide , oxide , miscibility , polymer , copolymer , metallurgy
Effects of the addition of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) on the tensile properties of a polypropylene (PP)/fibrous cellulose (FC) composite were studied. PEO was incompatible with the PP matrix, and a PP/PEO blend showed a sea‐island morphology. However, the existence of the PEO phase hardly impaired the ductility of PP, leading to a strain constraint relaxation resulting from void formation in the phase. The tensile behavior of PP/PEO was little affected by the content (until 10 wt %) or molecular weight of PEO. The results suggested that the PEO phase was able to be deformed in a slit‐like shape and had no interaction with the PP matrix. Effects of PEO on the morphology and tensile and fracture behavior of the PP/FC composite with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer critically depended on the preparation method. In the case of the addition of PEO to PP/FC/MAPP, increases in the strain and fracture energy were observed in comparison with PP/FC. In the case of the addition of FC/PEO to PP/MAPP, although the obtained composite showed a lower Young's modulus and tensile strength in comparison with PP/FC, the strain and fracture energy were considerably increased by the existence of the PEO layer coating the FC. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009