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Preparation and balanced mechanical properties of solid and foamed isotactic polypropylene/ SEBS composites
Author(s) -
Zhang Xiaoli,
Sun Baojia,
Yuan Guoyuan,
Zhang Shixun,
Ji Youxin,
Liu Baochen,
Zhang Mingxin,
Yang Yang,
Chen Jingbo
Publication year - 2021
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.50342
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , ultimate tensile strength , toughness , izod impact strength test , polypropylene , flexural strength , copolymer , tacticity , flexural modulus , polymer , polymerization
This study presents a self‐designed foaming apparatus and routes to manufacture foamed isotactic polypropylene (iPP) blends with uniform and dense cells, using styrene‐ethylene‐butadiene‐styrene (SEBS) block copolymer as toughening additive. The addition of SEBS can clearly enhance the impact strength of solid iPP, iPP blends with a 20 wt% SEBS has obtained high notched impact strength of 75 kJ/m 2 , which is ca. 16 times larger than that of neat iPP. Relatively fine microcellular iPP‐SEBS foams with the average cell size of several micrometers, and the cell density of 10 9 cells/cm 3 were fabricated using a batch foaming procedure. Moreover, using our self‐designed mold and compression foaming method, iPP‐SEBS foams with balanced mechanical properties were produced. With the increasing of SEBS, tensile strength and flexural strength were slightly decreased, but the impact strength was increased clearly. The balanced mechanical properties between stiffness and toughness were achieved after compression foaming.