Melt Processing and Characterization of Nanocomposites of PP/Na⁺ MMT Blending with Hyperbranched Polyester

Abstract

The present work accounts new approach for processing of PP nanocomposites containing 5 phr pristine Na⁺ montmorillonite clay with better clay dispersion by a single-step process along with improved processability using hyperbranched polyester (HBPE). A series of PP/MMT nanocomposites with different HBPE contents were fabricated by direct melt compounding on a Brabender torque rheometer where all components of the blends were fed simultaneously for mixing. The efficiency of this approach was evaluated against PP/MMT nanocomposites prepared with polypropylene graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) compatibilizer. The overall results revealed that systems with HBPE showed better balance of rheology and mechanical properties than nanocomposites with PP-g-MA.

Keywords:

• Hyperbranched polymer
• Material testing
• Nanocomposites
• Natural MMT
• Polypropylene

Notes

*Data obtained from manufacturer.

▵H₀ is the melting enthalpy of 100% crystalline PP sample which is 207.1 J/g.

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