INVESTIGADORES
FAILLA Marcelo Daniel
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
An study of nanocomposites based on polypropylene and synthetic saponite
Autor/es:
FEDERICO SCODELARO; NICOLÁS CARO RODRÍGUEZ; MARCELO D. FAILLA; LIDIA M. QUINZANI
Lugar:
Brasil
Reunión:
Congreso; Empromer 05. 2nd Mercosur Congress on Chemical Engineering; 2005
Resumen:
Mixing inorganic fillers and organic polymeric materials can produce polymeric nanocomposites (PNC) in which the components are combined with at least one dimension in the size range of 1?100 nm.  PNC prepared with small amounts of nanoparticles show mechanical properties similar to those of conventional composites. The thermal stability, gas and moisture barrier characteristics and flame retardance of the composites were improved with the introduction of the nanoscale inorganic reinforcements. The objective of this work is to synthesize inorganic particles to use as filler of nanocomposites based on polypropylene (PP).  The microstructure of the composites and the effect that the dispersion of the particles have on the mechanical and rheological properties of the PNC are also studied.  The advantages of synthetic clays over natural ones are that the synthetic clays have uniform chemical composition and size distribution and that they are formed by individual platelets of controlled size. Magnesium saponite particles were prepared following the method proposed by Vogels and Geus in the patent EP0778811B9 (1995).  The mixing of the nanoparticles with the PP (Petroquímica Cuyo S.A.I.C.) was carried out in the molten state using a Brabender Plastograph.  Small amounts of a polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (Uniroyal Chemical Co.) was used as a compatibilizer to improve the interaction between the hydrophobic PP and the hydrophilic clay.  The morphology of the composites is examined using transmittion electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction.  A dynamic rotational rheometer was used to measure the elastic and viscous moduli of solid and molten samples of the PNC performing temperature and frequency sweeps.