Effect of antiblock and slip additives on the properties of tubular quenched polypropylene film

Abstract

Abstract In the present investigation, silica and talc were used as antiblock additives with slip additive to investigate their effects on tubular quenched polypropylene (TQPP) film properties. Polypropylene (PP) powder was compounded with additives in twin-screw extruder and subsequently processed through TQPP machine to prepare the films. Tear and tensile properties [in machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD)] and surface properties of the produced TQPP films were investigated in terms of optics and coefficient of friction (CoF). The effect of conditioning time on CoF was also studied. Addition of slip agent alone to PP did not show any significant change in tear strength, CoF and tensile properties, whereas CoF reduced drastically by adding both slip and antiblock agents in combination. Reduction in CoF values were found to be more pronounced in the presence of silica-based antiblock compared to talc-based antiblock. Film surface morphology was further examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The tear strength and the gloss of TQPP film decreased slightly in presence of only antiblock agents, but the tensile strength was found to increase. It was also found that tensile properties of TQPP films were superior in silica-based formulation, whereas tear strength was better in talc-based formulation in MD and TD.