Studies of the Mechanical Properties and Practical Coating Adhesion on PP Modified by Oxidized Wax

Abstract

In this study, the influences of polarity and the amount of oxidized polypropylene wax (OPPW) in blends with polypropylene (PP) were investigated by studying their surface properties. OPPW was completely miscible with PP up to 10 wt%. The adhesive strength of a acrylic-based primer coating on PP sheets, containing different wt% of OPPWs, was evaluated by using a direct 'pull off' test method. The results showed that the adhesive strength of the coating improved with an increase of the amount of OPPW in the blend. However, the degree of polarity in the OPPW did not have a significant impact on its adhesive properties. These observations were also supported by the results of ATR–FT-IR spectroscopy and surface energy measurements of the substrate. Furthermore, the results of adhesion test on the coating panels showed a significant enhancement after exposing to heat in an oven prior to the application of coating, e.g., about 230% increase for the blend containing 8 wt% of OPPW. The TGA curves showed a maximum drop of about 10% in thermal stability in comparison with that of the unblended PP. The changes in the mechanical properties of the blends were explained by considering the morphology of the blends and were supported by the changes in blend crystalinity and melting behavior. The elastic modulus remained almost unchanged while elongation and stress to breakpoint experienced a sharp reduction at concentrations of wax content higher than 6 wt%. The study showed a good balance of substrate coatability with its bulk properties at a blend concentration of about 6 wt% of OPPW.