polypropylene/CLAY HyBRID composites:Preparation and characterization

CORA O. ROHLMANN; LIDIA M. QUINZANI; MARCELO D. FAILLA

Gramado Brasil

Congreso; X International Macromolecular Colloquium; 2005

In the present study, polypropylene/clay nanocomposites are prepared and analyzed.  Two types of clays are considered, a commercial modified montmorillonite and a bentonite that was purified and modified with octadecylammonium salt.  The composites, which were prepared using two different methods, by solution and by melt mixing, contain up to 10 wt% of inorganic loading and different amounts of polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride which was added as a compatibilizer.  Different techniques were used to characterize the composites.  Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) allow to analyze the structure of the materials at different stages while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to follow the crystallization process of the polymers.  The dynamic moduli of the materials in the molten state were measured at different temperatures using rotational rheometry.