(443f) Effct of Mixing TYPE on Rheological Behavior, Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties of Pp/clay Nanocomposite

In this work, polypropylene (PP)/clay nanocomposite was compounded without maleic anhydride-grafted PP by controlling mixing types in extruders. High shearing/mixing intensity was provided by configuring screw elements in a twin-screw extruder. Chaotic mixing was induced by installing a single screw extruder with a convective screw at the end of the twin-screw extruder. Effect of mixing type on dynamical rheological behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of nanocomposites was investigated. Results show that the complex viscosity of nanocomposite produced by chaotic mixing is a little higher than that produced by high shearing and mixing. Microstructure observation shows that the thickness of clay agglomerates in the nanocomposite produced by chaotic mixing is smaller than that produced by high shearing/mixing. Tensile modulus and impact strength at room/low temperatures are increased by inducing chaotic mixing. It is illustrated that chaotic mixing facilitates the dispersion of clay into the polymer matrix.