The Surface Modification of ZnOw and its Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Filled Polypropylene Composites

Abstract

Compared with the conventional particle-filled or fiber-filled polymer composites, the use of tetrapod-like zinc oxide whiskers (T-ZnOw) as inorganic functional fillers offers a possibility to manufacture polymer composites with isotropic property using simple processing techniques. In this article, T-ZnOw has first been modified with several coupling agents. Active index test and FTIR are performed to evaluate the effects of the surface treatment of the whiskers. Polypropylene composites filled with as-treated T-ZnOw are prepared by hot-press method and the mechanical properties of the composites are investigated. The experimental results show that different coupling agents have different effects on the surface modification of the whiskers. The data of the mechanical properties of the composites show that the tensile strength and impact strength increase with an increasing content of T-ZnOw in the range of 0-4 vol%. At a T-ZnOw loading of 4 vol%, they reach the highest value, 28.7 MPa and 23.3 kJ/m2, respectively. Furthermore, different coupling agents have different reinforcing effects on the as-prepared polypropylene composites.