Infl uence of Na+-montmorillonite modifi ed with acrylamide on the structure and properties of polypropylene

Abstract

Sodium form montmorillonite was obtained from natural clay from the Gerpegezh deposit (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Russia). A procedure has been developed for modifying the sodium form of montmorillonite using acrylamide. The structure of the organoclay was confi rmed by IR spectroscopy. Composites based on polypropylene and modifi ed montmorillonite are obtained by melt mixing on a twin-screw extruder from JiangsuXindaScience & Technology. The structure of the obtained composites was investigated using X-ray diff raction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The results of testing the obtained composites, which were used to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties, are presented: the melt fl ow index, impact strength according to Izod, modulus of elasticity, ultimate strength and elongation at break. ICompared to unfi lled polypropylene, polymer composites with 3 wt.% organoclay are shown to increase: impact strength by 31.61% (without notch) and 12.8% (with notch of 5 mm); modulus of elasticity in bending by 8.3%; tensile modulus by 10,3%. When polypropylene is fi lled with 5 wt.% organoclay, the composites show increased: impact strength by 12.60% (without notch) and by 10.52% (with an notch of 5 mm); the modulus of elasticity in bending and tension are the same as in the previous case. A further increase in the content of organoclay to 7 wt.% leads to a slight decrease in mechanical properties. Acrylamide can be used as a modifi er of organic clay; it is easily accessible and cheap, used in large-scale production. The resulting composites can be used as structural materials.