• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.467-472
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• 2011

This study investigated illite/polypropylene (PP) composite filament formation via melt-spinning and evaluated their physical properties to prepare functional fibers using natural materials. When composite filaments were formed, the composite filaments exhibited smaller fiber diameters compared to that of neat PP filament because of the lubricant effect of illite induced by its layered structure. Moreover, fluorination effect increased interfacial affinity and dispersion in the polymer, resulting in smaller diameter of fluorinated illite/PP composite filament, which was 2/3 of the neat PP filament diameter. Addition of raw and fluorinated illite improved thermal stability of illite/PP composite filament. Raw illite/PP composite filament cannot be used for a practical application, because it broke during drawing process, whereas the fluorinated illite/PP composite filament can be used for a practical application, because it exhibited similar tensile strength of the neat PP filament and 50% increased modulus. Even with improved illite/PP interfacial affinity and illite dispersion in the polymer, illite/PP composite filament formed microcomposite, because non-expandable illite had strongly bound layers, resulting in only a little illite exfoliation and PP intercalation into illite.