Investigation on the effects of Cloisite 30B and copolymer (ethylene and butyl acrylate) reinforcement with polypropylene thermoplastic by melt intercalation method

Abstract

In recent years, the application of polymer nanocomposites has been enormously increased, particularly in aerospace and automotive sector due to its lightweight and high specific strength. In this study, nanocomposite materials with polypropylene (PP) matrix and Cloisite 30B (C30B) as reinforcing nanofiller with Elvaloy AC 3427 (EA) as compatibilizer were manufactured by melt intercalation technique with the aid of twin-screw extruder (TSE). The C30B with EA was reinforced in the PP matrix at 1, 2, 3 and 5 wt%. The PP/C30B/EA nanocomposites were processed in TSE with different barrel zones such as conveying zone, melting zone, mixing zone and plasticizing zone which helps in achieving homogenous dispersion of C30B in PP matrix. The processing parameters of TSE are twin-screw speed (65 r/min), volumetric feeder’s screw speed (7 r/min), degassing zone pressure (40 mmHg), cooling length (50 cm) and humped temperature profile (170–220°C). The processed PP/C30B/EA was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) for studying intercalation/exfoliation structure formation and transmission electron microscope (TEM) for studying the dispersion of C30B in PP matrix. The thermal characterization of PP/C30B/EA nanocomposites was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The addition of C30B at 5 wt% to PP/C30B/EA nanocomposites increased the DSC, TGA and DMA properties.