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Characterization of melt‐compounded and masterbatch‐diluted polypropylene composites filled with several fillers
Author(s) -
Nevalainen Katja,
Auvinen Sanna,
Orell Olli,
Eteläaho Pirkko,
Suihkonen Reija,
Vuorinen Jyrki,
Järvelä Pentti
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.22454
Subject(s) - materials science , masterbatch , composite material , polypropylene , ultimate tensile strength , composite number , nanocomposite , thermal stability , calcium carbonate , crystallinity , izod impact strength test , chemical engineering , engineering
The effect of various fillers on the mechanical, barrier, and flammability properties of polypropylene (PP) was studied. PP was filled with 4 wt% of nano‐sized calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, organoclay, and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). For comparison, micron‐sized calcium carbonate was also studied. Two‐step masterbatch dilution approach of the composites suggested no or only minor improvements in Young's modulus and tensile yield strength, whereas their ductility decreased compared to coupling agent‐modified PP matrix. The water vapor transmission results of filled films showed increased permeability compared to their coupling agent‐modified counterpart. Oxygen permeability, however, decreased for the composites. The MWCNT‐filled matrix showed the highest barrier and fire performance, attributed mainly to its higher filler volume content, but also other reasons such as the effect of filler dispersion, composite's thermal stability, and polymer crystallinity were discussed.POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers