Physical and mechanical properties of SEBS/polypropylene nanocomposites reinforced by nano CaCO 3

In present study, styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylenes)‐b‐styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) and polypropylene (PP) are prepared. This mixing is followed by adding 3, 5 and 10 wt% of nano CaCO 3 . The morphology and thermal behavior of PP/SEBS/nano‐CaCO 3 compounds are characterized by different methods. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of cryo‐fractured PP/SEBS/nano‐CaCO 3 nanocomposites show that with increasing nano‐CaCO 3 loading, the aggregation becomes worse. However, followed by adding 5 wt% nano‐CaCO 3 into PP/SEBS nanocomposites, nano‐CaCO 3 is homogeneously dispersed in PP matrix. The photomicrograph of transmission electron microscopy confirms that SEBS/PP/nano‐CaCO 3 nanocomposites are formed, as low aggregations of calcium carbonate were well‐dispersed in polymer matrix. With a rise in nano‐filler content, the tensile and impact strength of PP/SEBS/CaCO 3 nanocomposite are fixed while the elastic modulus of PP/SEBS nanocomposites increases followed by adding nano‐CaCO 3 to polymer blend, which could be due to the acceptable nano‐CaCO 3 dispersion quality.