Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Polypropylene/Nanoα-Al2O3Composites

F Mirjalili,L Chuah,E Salahi

doi:10.1155/2014/718765

Abstract

A nanocomposite containing polypropylene (PP) and nano α-Al2O3 particles was prepared using a Haake internal mixer. Mechanical tests, such as tensile and flexural tests, showed that mechanical properties of the composite were enhanced by addition of nano α-Al2O3 particles and dispersant agent to the polymer. Tensile strength was approximately ∼16% higher than pure PP by increasing the nano α-Al2O3 loading from 1 to 4 wt% into the PP matrix. The results of flexural analysis indicated that the maximum values of flexural strength and flexural modulus for nanocomposite without dispersant were 50.5 and 1954 MPa and for nanocomposite with dispersant were 55.88 MPa and 2818 MPa, respectively. However, higher concentration of nano α-Al2O3 loading resulted in reduction of those mechanical properties that could be due to agglomeration of nano α-Al2O3 particles. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic observations of the nanocomposites also showed that fracture surface became rougher by increasing the content of filler loading from 1 to 4% wt.

Highlights

Polymeric materials are, fundamentally, devised for definite relevancies because of their construction and properties
Mechanical properties of composites represent essential parts of their physical and chemical properties that are considered for most requests
It is important to have basic information about mechanical performance of the composites and how this performance can be modified by the structural aspects which can be differing in polymers

Summary

Introduction

Polymeric materials are devised for definite relevancies because of their construction and properties. Nanocomposites produced using either organic or inorganic nanofillers have been the main focus of numerous researches in current years as they generally dwell in the merged properties of organic polymers (e.g., elasticity, ductility, and dielectric) and inorganic materials (e.g., high thermal permanence, strength, hardness, and high refractive catalog), and they may obtain some particular or new properties. Besides their developed properties, another advantage of using nanoscale reinforcements is having the capability of developed process and being recyclable [7]. In the case of PP nanocomposites, the used filler is nanoalumina while titanium oxide (TiO2) is a coupling agent

Materials and Methods

Characterization

Results and Discussion

Conclusions

Conflict of Interests