• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.137-140
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• 2005

Exfoliated nanocomposites of polypropylene/layered silicate were prepared by a melt compounding process using maleic anhydride modified polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) and organoclay. It was found that polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposites exhibited remarkable reinforcement compared with the pure polypropylene or conventional composite filled with agglomerated organoclay. The polypropylene /layered silicate nanocomposites showed stronger and earlier shear thinning behaviors and outstanding strain hardening behavior than pure polypropylene or other conventional composites in shear and uniaxial elongational flows, respectively. We simulated rheological modeling for the pure polymer matrix and polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposite in shear and elongational flows using K-BKZ integral constitutive equation. The two types of K-BKZequations have been examined to describe experimental results of shear and uniaxial elongational viscosities of pure polypropylene and polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposite.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.367-371
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• 2007

Nanocomposites prepared by PP(Polypropylene) based compatibilizers modified with GMA(Glycidyl methacrylate) and HEMA(Hydroxyethyl methacrylate) were used to investigate the clay dispersion and mechanical properties of them. XRD patterns showed the improvement of dispersion through clay intercalation according to the compatibilizers and comonomer. GMA modified polypropylene gave the best mechanical properties of the nanocomposite with respect to the balance of Flexural modulus (FM) and Notched izod impact strength(IS). Compatibilizers with comonoer commonly have higher grafting yield and lower melt flow rate than those of comonomer free. And they enhanced the clay dispersion and mechanical properties of nanocomposites. Optimum ratio of monomer to comonomer for nanocomposites having better mechanical properties is about 1 to 1 ratio.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.6-14
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• 2008

Polypropylene (PP)-layered silicate nanocomposites were developed using a new processing method involving a supercritical carbon dioxide ($scCO_2$)-assisted co-rotating twin-screw extrusion process. The nanocomposites were prepared through two step extrusion processes. In the first step, the PP/clay mixture was extruded with $CO_2$ injected into the barrel of the extruder and the resulting foamed extrudate was cooled and pelletized. In the second step, the foamed extrudate was extruded with venting to produce the final PP/clay nanocomposites without $CO_2$. In this study, organophilic-clay and polypropylene matrix were used. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer. This study focused on the effect of $scCO_2$ on the dispersion characteristics of the clays into a PP matrix and the rheological properties of the layered silicate based PP nanocomposites. The dispersion properties of clays in the nanocomposites as well as the rheological properties of the nanocomposites were examined as a function of the PP-g-MA concentration. The degree of dispersion of the clays in the nanocomposites was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. Various rheological properties of the nanocomposites were measured using a rotational rheometer. In the experimental results, the $scCO_2$ assisted continuous manufacturing extrusion system was used to successfully produce the organophilic-clay filled PP nanocomposites. It was found that $scCO_2$ had a measurable effect on the clay dispersion in the polymer matrix and the melt intercalation of a polymer into clay layers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2010

Polypropylene / montmorillonite / wood flour nanocomposites are melt-mixed by using a twin screw extruder. The montmorillonite is intercalated by the wood flour and the basal spacing of montmorillonite is increased with increasing the content of wood flour. The exfoliation constantly occurs by adding more than 10 wt.% of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene as the compatibilizer, which is used for improving the interfacial adhesion between matrix and filler. Also, the maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene enhances the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.191-214
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• 2008

Polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposites containing maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene were prepared by melt compounding and their rheological behavior was investigated in shear flow. Transient and steady shear flows were simulated numerically by using the K-BKZ integral constitutive equation along with experimentally determined damping functions under dynamic oscillatory and step strain shear flows. Nonlinear shear responses were predicted with the K-BKZ constitutive equation using two different damping functions such as the Wagner and PSM models. It was observed that PP-g-MAH compatibilized PP/layered silicate nanocomposites have stronger and earlier shear thinning and higher steady shear viscosity than pure PP resin or uncompatibilized nanocomposites at low shear rate regions. Strong damping behavior of the PP/layered silicate nanocomposite was predicted under large step shear strain and considered as a result of the strain-induced orientation of the organoclay in the shear flow. Steady shear viscosity of the pure PP and uncompatibilized nanocomposite predicted by the K-BKZ model was in good agreement with the experimental results at all shear rate regions. However, the model was inadequate to predict the steady shear viscosity of PP-g-MAH compatibilized nanocomposites quantitatively because the K-BKZ model overestimates strain-softening damping behavior for PP/layered silicate nanocomposites.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.280-280
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• 2006

Na-bentonite (local clay mineral) and Na-montmorillonite were treated with quaternary alkylammonium cations. The effect of the molecular structure and functional groups of the surfactants on the organoclays was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). For the preparation of nanocomposites, organoclays were melt-blended with polypropylene in a twin screw extruder and $Surlyn^{(R)$. ionomer was used as a reactive compatibilizer. The clay dispersions in the composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD spectra showed no peak at low angle indicated that the silicate clay layer has a nearly exfoliated dispersion in the polymer matrix. Thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites were higher than those of PP.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.665-670
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• 2005

Nanocomposites of polypropylene with organically modified clays were compounded on a twin-screw extruder by two-step melt compounding of three components, i.e., polypropylene, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA), and organically modified clay. The effect of PP-g-MA compatibilizers, including PH-200, Epolene-43, Polybond-3002, Polybond-3200, with a wide range of maleic anhydride (MA) content and molecular weight was examined. Morphologies of nanocomposites and their mechanical properties such as stiffness, strength, and impact resistance were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the dispersion morphology of clay particles seemed to be determined in the first compounding step and the further dispersion of clays didn't occur in the second compounding step. As the ratio of PP-g-MA to clay increased, the clay particles were dispersed more uniformly in the matrix resin. As the dispersibility of clays was enhanced, the reinforcement effect of the clays increased, however impact resistance decreased.

• Carbon letters
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.311-315
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• 2010

In this work, the effect of glycidyl methacrylate grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes (GMA-MWCNTs) on the viscoelastic behaviors of polypropylene (PP) based nanocomposites was studied. The GMA-MWCNTs/PP was prepared using a bravender at $200^{\circ}C$ by melt mixing as a function of GMA-MWCNT content. The viscoelastic behaviors of GMA-MWCNTs/PP nanocomposites were measured by a rheometer. It was found that the GMA-MWCNTs were homogeneously dispersed in the PP matrix. The GMA-MWCNTs/PP nanocomposites showed higher storage modulus, loss modulus, and shear viscosity compared to pure PP nanocomposites and the maximum value was shown at 2.0 wt% GMA-MWCNTs loading. These results were probably attributed to the strong interfacial interaction between the GMA-MWCNT and the PP matrix.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.190-195
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• 2011

Effects of ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM)/polypropylene (PP), zinc oxide, stearic acid, and clay on the combustive properties based on EPDM/PP were investigated. The EPDM/PP/clay nanocomposites was compounded to prepare specimen for combustive analysis by cone calorimeter (ISO 5660-1). It was found that the combustive properties in the nanocomposites decreased due to the fire resistance compared with unfilld EDPM/PP. The nanocomposites showed the lower peak heat release rate (PHRR) than that of virgin EPDM/PP, while stearic acid for softening ruber increased the mean heat release rate (MHRR) by itself, combustible.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2008

Nanocomposites with polypropylene/clay/wood flour were prepared by melt blending and injection molding. Thermal, mechanical and morphological properties were characterized. The addition of ballmilled clay, compatibilizer and wood flour significantly improved the thermal stability of the hybrids. The tensile modulus and strength of most hybrids was highly increased with the increased loading of clay, maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and wood flour (WF), compared to the PP/WF hybrids. The tensile modulus and strength of most hybrids were highly increased with the increased loading of ballmilled clay, MAPP and wood flour, compared to the hybrids with PP/WF. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) photomicrographs illustrated the intercalated and partially exfoliated structures of the hybrids with ballmilled clay, MAPP and wood flour.