Abstract
The effect of the addition of talc on the morphology and thermal properties of blends of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polypropylene (PP) was investigated. The blends of TPU and PP are incompatible because of large differences in polarities between the nonpolar crystalline PP and polar TPU and high interfacial tensions. The interaction between TPU and PP can be improved by using talc as reinforcing filler. The morphology was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties of the neat polymers and unfilled and talc filled TPU/PP blends were studied by using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The addition of talc in TPU/PP blends improved miscibility in all investigated TPU/T/PP blends. The DSC results for talc filled TPU/PP blends show that the degree of crystallinity increased, which is due to the nucleating effect induced by talc particles. The reason for the increased storage modulus of blends with the incorporation of talc is due to the improved interface between polymers and filler. According to TGA results, the addition of talc enhanced thermal stability. The homogeneity of the talc filled TPU/PP blends is better than unfilled TPU/PP blends.
Highlights
Blending has been widely and effectively used to modify or control the properties of polymer by appropriately compounding miscible polymers
The presence of talc restricted the mobility of the molecular chain of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and so Tg increases as a consequence of interactions between talc and the TPU chains
The thermal and morphology properties of neat components (TPU, PP) TPU/T and PP/T composites and TPU/PP blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Summary
Blending has been widely and effectively used to modify or control the properties of polymer by appropriately compounding miscible polymers. The hydrogen bonding associations within the HSs in TPUs act as a reinforcing filler for the soft matrix. The degree of phase separation in Pus depends on the types of diisocyanate and polyol and polyol employed to produce the PU, type of polyfunctional compound used in the crosslinking process, NCO : OH ratio, size of HSs and SSs, and method of synthesis. Limitation of PP is its poor adhesion to the surface of other phases such as rubber or polar materials This is primarily a result of the nonpolar nature of PP [2, 3]. The incorporation of proper filler increase interfacial adhesion between matrix and disperse phase refines blends morphology and leads to Journal of Polymers an improvement of processing and application properties of the final material. The most important characteristics of the filler are its size, shape and its ability to act as nucleating agent for crystallization [5]
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