Structure-properties relation in thermoplastic polymer/silica nanocomposites in presence of stearic acid as modifier agent

Abstract

In the present study, several polypropylene/silica nanocomposites (PP/SiO2), containing 3 and 5 wt.% of untreated silica nanoparticles in presence of stearic acid (SA) as modifier agent, were prepared by melt mixing. Various analyses were used to characterize the dispersion and the properties of nanocomposites. Mechanical properties were found to increase and to be mainly affected by the content of silica and modifier agent. For the tensile modulus and yield point, a maximum was observed, corresponding to the samples in presence of 1% SA. In addition, an improvement in thermal stability and impact strength was obtained.