Ratio Of Polypropylene Research Articles

Effects of geometry and temperature on mode I interlaminar fracture of filled polypropylene-elastomer nanocomposite

In this study, organically modified Na-MMT clay was used for the preparation of blend nanocomposites containing different ratios of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) elastomer in a twin screw extruder. Maleic-grafted PP (MAPP) was used as compatibilizer for making PP hydrophilic. Surface modification of Na-MMT was made by using amino propyl trimethoxy silane (APS) and trimethyl amine as coupling agent with surface grafting catalyst, respectively. A fracture mechanics approach has been adopted by mode I test and the effects of specimen geometry have been investigated. Increase in interlaminar fracture energy value, G c, was observed as the crack propagated through the composite, i.e. a rising ‘R-curve’ for both blend and nanocomposites. Deep fracture studies were carried out at different temperatures (−60 °C to 60 °C) using Izod impact and SENT tests. Fracture energy, fracture stress and brittle ductile transition were determined from crack initiation and propagation process, which showed significant improvement in impact and fracture energy at positive temperature. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed increased d-spacing of clay layers, indicating enhanced compatibility between PP and clay with the addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP). Morphology/impact property relationships and an explanation of the toughening mechanisms were made by comparing the impact properties with scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of fracture surfaces. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) photomicrographs illustrated the intercalated and partially exfoliated structures of the hybrids with clay, MAPP and elastomer.

Characterization of PET/PP blend fiber and it’s application to wig

As PET (Polyester) fiber has better heat resistance than PVC fiber or modacryl fiber, it has been used as wig fiber for human hair alternatives. However, PET is heavier and has higher specific gravity than human hair, and therefore the authors attempted to make lighter wig fiber by blending PP (polypropylene) into PET by mixing the PET/PP blend with a compatibilizer, a ethylene-acrylic ester-GMA(EAG) component grafted material, to overcome poor compatibilities of PET and PP. The thermal properties of the PET/PP blend mixed with EAG were measured using DSC, and the results showed that EAG affected melting point and crystallization temperature of the blend polymer. As blend ratio of PP increased, specific gravity of blend fiber reduced and thermal shrinkage rate increased. Blend ratio of PP was greater for shorter lengths of initial curl, although curl loosening increased as time elapsed.

Supercritical carbon dioxide-assisted electroless nickel plating on polypropylene—The effect of copolymer blend morphology on metal–polymer adhesion

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-assisted electroless Ni–P plating with co-polymer-based hydrophilic modification was investigated for polypropylene (PP) substrates. The technique consists of three steps: the first step is a hydrophilic modification of PP, the second is scCO2-assisted impregnation of the substrate with Pd(hfa)2, and the third is the electroless plating reaction. Due to the hydrophobic nature of PP, the aqueous plating solution cannot diffuse into a plain PP substrate to form Ni–P metal. In this study, a block copolymer PP-b-polyethylene oxide (PEO) (PP-b-PEO) was blended with PP by injection molding to modify the hydrophilicity of the PP-plate surface. The blend morphology of PP-b-PEO and PP strongly affected the adhesiveness of the metal layer to the substrate. Five grades of PP with different viscosities were used to investigate the effects of the viscosity ratio of PP to PP-b-PEO on the blend morphology and the adhesiveness of the metal to the polymer. By bringing the viscosity ratio close to a value of approximately twelve, the degrees of elongation and orientation of the PP-b-PEO domains near the surface were maximized, resulting in the thickest metal–PP composite layer and the highest adhesiveness. By controlling the blend morphology, a uniform Ni–P layer was successfully formed with an average adhesive strength of 8.8±1.8N/cm to the PP blend substrate.

Additive free thermoplastic vulcanizates based on natural rubber

Electron induced reactive processing (EIReP) is an eco-friendly and sustainable reactive processing method based on the use of high energy electrons. It was used to cross-link the elastomeric domain phase during melt mixing in order to prepare natural rubber (NR) and polypropylene (PP) based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). The electron treatment with various values of absorbed dose showed a prominent effect on mechanical, rheological, and morphological characteristics of the PP/NR TPVs. SEM and TEM studies confirmed that these TPVs can exists across the co-continuous or discrete phase morphology. The maximum set of mechanical properties (tensile strength of 15 MPa and elongation at break of more than 500%) were obtained at an absorbed dose of 100 kGy for a 50/50 blend ratio of NR and PP without addition of any compatibilizer or chemicals. At higher values of absorbed dose the degradation of polypropylene showed a negative impact on the properties of the TPVs. Depending on the morphology and the evaluation of mechanical properties a structure–property co-relationship is drawn on the basis of common phenomenological understanding of the TPVs.

Effect of amorphous/recycled polypropylene ratio on thermo-mechanical properties of blends for lubricant applications

This work focuses on the development of gel-like formulations for use as lubricating greases. These dispersions were formulated using mineral oil and recycled/amorphous polypropylene blends. In particular, the influence of the polypropylene concentration ratio (Wi) on the rheology, thermal and some lubricant performance properties of polymer/oil blends were studied. The rheological responses of these systems were quite different, influenced mainly by the concentration of amorphous polypropylene. At intermediate temperatures (25 °C, 50 °C) and high recycled polypropylene concentrations (Wi > 0.5), the evolution of small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) functions was very similar to those found with other commercial lubricating greases. Samples with lower concentrations of amorphous polypropylene (12.5%) present maximum GN° values in the temperature range studied. An Arrhenius-type equation can be used to quantify the thermal dependence of the linear viscoelastic functions of these gel-like dispersions. In general, sample formulations studied exhibited values of the friction coefficient comparable to those found for traditional lithium lubricating greases.

The study of compatibility of polyethylene and polypropylene by using irradiated polyethylene wax

The modification of the compatibility between polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) by using irradiated PE wax (PE wax) is the purpose of this study. In this part, polymer blends based on various ratios of PE and PP were blended with 2.5% PE wax in all the blend ratios to determine the optimum ratio of the blend to be compatabilized. The influence of PE wax as a compatibilizing agent for PE and PP blend was investigated through the measurements of thermal, mechanical and morphological properties. The PP/PE blends modified by this method showed higher mechanical properties than those of the unmodified blends. Also, stress and strain of the modified blend having ratio (60/40) PP/PE blend recorded the maximum mechanical behavior. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of modified blends showed an indication of strong interfacial adhesion and a smooth continuous surface in which giving a support to the effect of irradiated PE wax as a tool for improving the compatibility.

Release property and antioxidant effectiveness of tocopherol-incorporated LDPE/PP blend films

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/polypropylene (PP) blend films in various blending ratios containing 3000 mg kg−1 of tocopherol were manufactured by an extrusion process. Tocopherol release properties were characterised and correlated with antioxidant effectiveness in retarding the oxidation of linoleic acid contacting the films at 40°C. The conditions without tocopherol (control) and with instant tocopherol addition corresponding to the amount included in the films were also prepared and compared with the film-contacting solutions. The effect of tocopherol inclusion and the blending ratio on their physical properties was also examined. A wide range of tocopherol diffusivity in 6.6 × 10−16–4.6 × 10−14 m2 s−1 were obtained by blend films. As PP content increases, the diffusivity decreased sharply at the beginning and levelled off later. The slower release of tocopherol in LDPE/PP blend films corresponding to lower tocopherol diffusivity retained the higher tocopherol concentration in the linoleic acid system providing better antioxidant effectiveness of the extended induction period in oxidation. The tocopherol inclusion reduced tensile strength and transparency significantly in an affordable range with higher tensile strength given by a higher PP ratio. LDPE/PP blending can be a useful tool to modulate the release profile of tocopherol and thus the antioxidant effectiveness of the tocopherol-incorporated antioxidant packaging film.

Grafting effects of polypropylene/polyethylene blends with maleic anhydride on the properties of the resulting wood–plastic composites

In the presented study, polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (PE) were blended at the ratios of 80/20 and 20/80 to simulate recycled waste thermoplastic mixtures. The effects of in situ grafting of PP/PE blends with maleic anhydride through the extruder on the mechanical and rheological properties of resulting wood/plastic composites were investigated. Different ratios of PP and PE in the blends created distinct properties in the resulting composites. Grafting of PP and PE blends improved the tensile and flexure properties of the resulting composites. The composites exhibited a reduced water uptake and resultant dimensional swelling due to grafting with maleic anhydride. Grafting of the blends also considerably improved the interfacial bonding and enhanced the dispersion of wood in the matrix, as evidenced by rheological analysis and scanning electron microscopy.

Quantification of polypropylene (PP) in wood plastic composites (WPCs) by analytical pyrolysis (Py) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

Abstract The common use of wood together with traditional chemical polymers opens new possibilities in the field of sustainable product development. Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are an ideal combination of these raw materials, which can be produced with standard plastic technology such as extrusion or injection moulding. Wood to plastic ratio in a WPC influences quality and price, thus adaptation of analytical tools for material testing and quality assurance is required. In this study, the suitability of analytical pyrolysis (Py) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was investigated to quantify the amount of polypropylene (PP) in WPCs. The reliability of these methods was tested by analysing WPCs with different ratios of wood and PP. The amount of PP can be determined with DSC based on its melting point as the influence of wood is negligible in this context. The increment of typical PP markers and decrement of wood markers was observed and quantified in the pyrograms if the PP content in WPCs was elevated. Thus, the ratio of PP and wood can be reliably quantified by means of online and offline analytical pyrolysis.

Moderation of Entrance Pressure Drop and Extrudate Swelling of Wood Fiber/Polypropylene Composites Melt in Rotating-Die Extrusion Process

A novel rotating-die system was proposed to moderate the elastic swelling for molten polypropylene (PP) and wood/polypropylene (WPP) composite. The results suggested that the neat PP and WPP melts followed the psuedoplastic non-Newtonian pattern. The rotation of the die could moderate the extrusion load and entrance pressure drop. The die rotation effect appeared to be very pronounced for the PP with high wood contents and high extrusion rates. The decreases in extrusion load and entrance pressure drop were related with reductions of melt viscosity due to shear heating effect. The results practically implied that use of the rotating die system could increase the productivity in the extrusion process. In terms of elastic swelling, in all cases, it was found that the swelling ratio of neat PP and WPP melt composite increased with increasing shear rate, but for any given shear rates, the addition of wood particles and the use of rotating die caused decreases in swell ratio of the melts, the wood content being more well-defined than the die rotating speed.

The effect of interfacial adhesion on the impact strength of immiscible PP/PETG blends compatibilized with triblock copolymers

Abstract In this work, recycled Poly(ethylene glycol-co-cyclohexane-1,4-dimethanol terephthalate) plastic (PETG) was used to enhance the properties and lower the cost of polypropylene(PP). In order to adjust the interfacial adhesion, three triblock copolymers having the same styrene block at two ends but different block in the middle, were used a the compatibilizers, namely, styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene (SEBS), styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS), styrene–isoprene–styrene (SIS). The ratio of PP to PETG was fixed at 70/30 and the relationship between interfacial adhesion and mechanical properties was investigated. The addition of SIS caused a considerable increase in Izod impact toughness, but only slightly improved toughness was observed for blends compatibilized with SEBS. The effect of SBS on improving the impact toughness lied in between that of SIS and SEBS. SEM micrographs showed that PETG forms a fibrillar-like structure for all the uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends, and the blends compatibilized with SBS have smallest domain size, the blends compatibilized with SEBS have largest domain size, while the ones compatibilized with SIS show a moderate domain size. Results from melt rheometry and SEM observation together with work of interfacial adhesion, indicated a strongest interfacial adhesion in blends compatibilized with SBS, poorest in blends compatibilized with SEBS, and moderate in blends compatibilized with SIS. It is very interesting to found that the much improved impact strength was not observed in the blends with the strongest interfacial adhesion but achieved in the blend with moderate interfacial adhesion. Investigation on the impact fractured surface revealed an easier debonding of fibril from matrix and consequently drawn out of matrix in blends compatibilized by SIS with moderate interfacial adhesion, which was considered as the main reason for the much improved impact toughness in this system.

Relation between tacticity and fiber diameter in melt-electrospinning of polypropylene

Electrospun atactic polypropylene (PP) fibers are thicker than those obtained from isotactic PP, although the viscosity of molten PPs is almost same. Thus we focused on the effect of tacticity of PP on fiber diameters. The PP samples with various tacticity were prepared by changing the blend ratio of isotactic PP and atactic PP. Melt-electrospinning is performed by using blended samples, and then electrospun fibers were observed by scanning electron microscope to evaluate fiber diameter of obtained fibers. It is clear that the diameter of electrospun PP fibers decreases as high tacticity content of PP increases. This result suggests that tacticity of samples is an important factor to control the electrospun fiber diameter.

Upgrading mixed polyolefin waste with magnetic density separation

Polyolefin fractions are often end fractions resulting from the recycling of end-of-life consumer products. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are present in such fractions as a mixture. For instance, the ratio of PP and PE in car scrap is 70:30 on average. However, the grade of the PP and PE should typically be better than 97% to be reused again as a high quality product. Density separation of the different polyolefins can be a solution. A promising separation technique is the inverse magnetic density separator (IMDS). This paper discusses the potential of shredder residue, one of the possible polyolefin's waste stream sources for the IMDS, in detail. Experiments with the separation of polyolefins with an IMDS prototype show both high grade and high recovery. The paper concludes with the economic opportunities of the IMDS in the recycling of polyolefins.

Triboelectrostatic Separation for Recycling of Seaweed-Drying Net Frame Plastic Wastes

In this research, on the basis of the control of electrostatic charge, a laboratory-scale triboelectrostatic separation for separating polypropylene (PP) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) in seaweed-drying net frame plastic wastes has been carried out. High density polyethylene (HDPE) in a charger material selection tests using a vertical-reciprocation system was found to be the most effective materials for a tribo-charger in the separation of PP, and ABS. In lab-scale triboelectrostatic separation tests using the HDPE pipeline charger, the charge-tomass ratio (nC/g) of the mixed PP and ABS increased when the air velocity was adjusted to over 10 m/s. The optimum splitter position estimated by Newton’s separation efficiency (� n) was a position +4 cm from the central. Furthermore, under the conditions of over 385 kV/m electric field and less than 30% relative humidity, a PP grade of 99.70% and a recovery of 92.30% could be obtained. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MRA2008268]

Morphology and properties of nanostructured materials based on polypropylene/poly(butylene succinate) blend and organoclay

Nanostructured materials based on organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) and polypropylene (PP)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blend were prepared via melt-mixing of PP, PBS, and OMMT in a batch mixer. The weight ratio of PP and PBS was 70:30, and the OMMT loading varied from 0.5 to 5 wt%. The surface morphologies of unmodified and OMMT-modified blend were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the particle size of the dispersed PBS phase was significantly reduced with the addition of a small amount of OMMT (1.5 wt%). Upon the addition of 5 wt% of OMMT, the domain size of the dispersed PBS phase changed significantly from the unmodified blend, and a homogeneous dispersion of very fine particles of PBS was observed. The degree of dispersion of silicate layers in the blend matrix was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The improved adhesion between the phases and the fine morphology of the dispersed phase contributed to the significant improvement in the properties and thermal stability of the final nanocomposite materials. On the basis of these results, we describe a general understanding of how the morphology is related to the final properties of OMMT-incorporated PP/PBS blend.

Preparation and characterization of nano-zinc borate by a new method

A nano-flake-like zinc borate 2ZnO·2.2B 2O 3·3H 2O was prepared via coordination homogeneous precipitation method using ammonia, zinc nitrate and borax as raw materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques were used to characterize the products. The pilot study revealed that the products had excellent inflaming retarding effect for polypropylene (PP), the carbon residue ratio of PP increased to 75% when the product content was about 12 wt.%.

Spalling Properties of High Strength Concrete Mixed with Various Mineral Admixtures Subjected to Fire

This study investigates the spalling properties of high strength concrete designed with various types of mineral admixture and diverse content ratios of polypropylene (PP) fiber. Experimental factors considered in series I are four pozzolan types of mineral admixture and series II consists of three shrinkage reducing types of mineral admixture. PP fiber was added 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15vol. % in each mixture of series I and series II, so that totally 27 specimens including control concretes in each series were prepared. Test results showed that the increase of fiber content decreased the slump flow of fresh concrete and increased or decreased the air content depending on the declining ratio of slump flow. For the properties of compressive strength, all specimens were indicated at around 50 MPa, which is high strength range; especially all specimens in series II were 60 MPa. Fire test was conducted in standard heating curve of ISO 834 with size of cylinder moulds for 1 hour. The specimens incorporating silica fume exhibited severe spalling and most specimens without the silica fume could be protected from the spalling occurrence in only 0.05vol % of PP fiber content. This fire test results demonstrated that the spalling occurrence in high strength concrete was not only affected by concrete strength related to the porosity of microstructure but also, even more influenced by micro pore structure induced by the mineral admixtures.

The influence of matrix viscosity and composition on the morphology, rheology, and mechanical properties of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposites based on EPDM/PP

AbstractThe morphological and rheological properties of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposites (TPE nanocomposites) were studied using different viscosities of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM) rubber content (20, 40, 60 wt%). The components, namely EPDM, PP, Cloisite 15A, and maleic anhydride‐modified PP as compatibilizer, were compounded by a one‐step melt mixing process in a laboratory internal mixer. The structure of the nanocomposites was characterized with X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and rheometry in small amplitude oscillatory shear. The distribution state of the clay between the two phases (PP and EPDM) was found to be dependent on the viscosity ratio of PP to EPDM. In the nanocomposites prepared based on low viscosity PP (LVP) and EPDM, the clay was mostly dispersed into the PP phase and the size of the dispersed rubber particles decreased in comparison with unfilled but otherwise similar blends. However, the dispersed elastomer droplet size in the high viscosity PP (HVP) blends containing 40 and 60% EPDM increased with the introduction of the clay. For TPE nanocomposites, the dependence of the storage modulus (G′) on angular frequency (ω) followed a clear nonterminal behavior. The increase in the storage modulus and the decrease in the terminal zone slope of the elastic modulus curve were found to be larger in the LVP nanocomposite in comparison with the HVP sample. The yield stress of nanoclay‐filled blends prepared with LVP increased more than that of HVP samples. The tensile modulus improved for all nanocomposites but a higher percentage of increase was observed in the case of LVP samples. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

Spectroscopic analysis and mechanical properties of electron beam irradiated polypropylene/epoxidized natural rubber (PP/ENR) polymer blends

Polymer blends based on different ratios of polypropylene (PP) and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) were prepared by melt extrusion into sheets. The PP/ENR blends were exposed to various dose of accelerated electrons. The formation of free radicals during and after electron beam irradiation was illustrated by electron spin resonance (ESR). Also, the effect of electron beam irradiation on the mechanical and structural morphology was investigated by stress–strain behavior and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The ESR spectra indicated the formation of alkyl and allyl radicals during electron beam irradiation and peroxyl radicals during the post effect. The rate of radical decay was found to be second-order kinetics. The improvement in mechanical properties and structural morphology was confirmed to be due to the effect of electron beam irradiation.

Study of the rheological properties of melts of polypropylene and poly(butylene terephthalate) blends

The viscosity properties of melts of fibre-forming polypropylene (PP) and poly(butylene terephthalate) blends were investigated in the entire range of ratios at different stresses and shear rate gradients at 230–250°C. It was shown that melts of fibre-forming PP and PBT blends are weakly crosslinked systems. The effect of the mass ratio of PP and PBT on the apparent activation energy of viscous flow of melts of the blends was investigated at different shear stresses and shear rate gradients. It was hypothesized that this blend can be assigned to the group of limitedly compatible systems. The probability of compatibility of the polymers in the melt appears when up to 20% PBT is incorporated in the PP. The blends are not compatible for the remaining ratios of polymers in the investigated system.