Investigations on morphology, tribology, rheology, thermo-mechanical properties, and EMI shielding of WC/MWCNT nanohybrids in polypropylene

Abstract

This study is focused to explore the synergism of dual nanofillers (tungsten carbide (WC) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)) in melt extruded PP composites. The synergy of fillers in PP enhanced the elastic modulus, tensile strength, and critical stress intensity factor by 141.8%, 35.4%, and 62.6%, respectively, at an optimum filler content of 1 wt% of WC and 2 wt% of MWCNTs. In the hybrid composites, activation energy to initiate thermal decomposition raised by 78% and wear resistance increased by 93%, and the hybrid composites exhibited enhanced reflectivity in the X band region, which contributed to high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. The improvement in the properties makes the current hybrid composite system an ideal candidate in application sectors where high modulus, energy absorption, and thermal stability are required.