Effect of manganese nanoparticles on the mechanical, thermal and fire properties of polypropylene multifilament yarn

Abstract

Polypropylene filled with 10 wt% of inorganic nanoparticles has been prepared by melt blending. The fillers investigated were manganese oxides (MnO and Mn 2O 3) and manganese oxalate (MnC 2O 4). The morphology and thermal stability of these nanocomposites have been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The experimental results reveal that the addition of 10 wt% manganese oxides improves the thermal stability in air of polypropylene by about 70–80 °C. In a second step, these nanocomposites have been processed by melt spinning in order to produce multifilament yarn. The mechanical properties of these filaments have then been characterized. It is shown that just the addition of Mn 2O 3 improves the mechanical properties of polypropylene filaments. The flammability of these nanocomposites used as knitted fabrics has finally been evaluated with a mass loss calorimeter at 35 kW/m 2. This kind of experiment has not revealed a real improvement of fire properties.