• Breuil, Eléonore Véron Du
• Chappuis, Thierry
• Meuwly, Renaud
• Dutoit, Jean-Marie
• Leignel, Geoffroy
• Cotting, Christophe
• Hengsberger, Stefan

Abstract

<jats:p>Composite materials of polypropylene and mineral microparticles have been generated by compounding and tested in terms of mechanical stiffness. In a first step silica, boehmite and functionalized clay microparticle powder have been mixed with the polymer in a twin-screw compounder.The elastic modulus was highest for mixtures with a microparticle concentration of 5 to 10%w/w. An increase of 25% of the elastic modulus was achieved by simple melt extrusion. In a second step, a maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) was used as a matrix. When measured by nanoindentation,the pure PP-g-MA matrix showed an elastic modulus twice as high as pure PP, probably because of a partial reticulation. During extrusion, amino-silane functionalized clay microparticles were added to the PP-g-MA matrix and reacted with it by building covalent amide group bonds. The resultingcompound material showed an elastic modulus of more than four times the stiffness of pure PP.</jats:p>

Topics

• mineral
• polymer
• melt
• composite
• nanoindentation
• melt extrusion