Effect of Comonomer Content on the Behavior of Propylene Copolymer/Compatibilizer/Clay Nanocomposites

✍ Scribed by Humberto Palza

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 285 KB
• Volume: 295
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200900399

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A set of isotactic propylene copolymers with either 1‐hexene or 1‐octadecene were synthesized using a metallocene catalyst, and their nanocomposites with 5 wt.‐% of clay and 15 wt.‐% of compatibilizer were prepared and characterized. Clay intercalation and dispertion depend on the comonomer content in the matrix which improves at high short‐chain‐branching levels. The presence of both clay and compatibilizer increased the crystallization temperature of the matrix. A strong correlation between the elastic modulus of the matrix and its relative increase in the nanocomposite was observed. By adding clay and compatibilizer to the copolymer, the modulus can be increased by a factor of two. The results open new perspectives in the understanding of the effect of polyolefin topology on nanocomposites properties.

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