Thermal and Antistatic Properties of Polypropylene/Organo Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

Abstract

Both polypropylene (PP) and PP/organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) masterbatch containing antistatic agent (3–9 wt%) were prepared by using co-rotating twin screw extruder followed by injection molding. PP/OMMT masterbatch was prepared by mixing PP, OMMT and maleated PP (PPgMAH). The PP nanocomposites were characterized by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetry analyzer (TGA), hardness and surface resistivity tests. XRD results indicated that AA could promote the intercalation in PP/OMMT nanocomposites. The decomposition temperature of PP/OMMT/AA nanocomposites is higher than that of PP/OMMT. The hardness, degree of crystallinity and surface resistivity of PP nanocomposites was influenced by the addition of antistatic agent.

Keywords:

• Antistatic agent
• Masterbatch
• Nanocomposites
• Organo-montmorillonite
• Polypropylene

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

W. S. Chow would like to thank Universiti Sains Malaysia for the Research Grant.

Notes

Note. PP/OMMT∗ = PP masterbatch containing PP, OMMT and PPgMAH.