(708b) Polypropylene Nanocomposites Reinforced with Different Carbon NanoStructures

Polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites reinforced with different carbon nanosize fillers (carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphite nanoplatelets, active carbon nanoparticles) were fabricated via an ex-situ method.^1,2 High quality filler dispersion in the PP matrix was obtained via  PP/xylene solution strategy and verified by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties of PP/CNFs nanocomposites were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and shown to exhibit improved thermal stability and higher crystallinity. The prepared PP nanocomposites were further processed into pellets by compression molding. The electrical conductivity and dielectric property of the PP nanocomposite were studied. Both the electric conductivity and real permittivity increase with the increase of the nanofiller loadings. The electrical conductivity percolation is observed at the filler loading of 15.0, 12.0, 5.0 and 3.0 wt% for graphite nanoplatelets, carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes, respectively. The rheological behaviors of the nanocomposite melts are also investigated and the results are compared with different carbon nanocomposite systems. These results verify the percolation percentage is related to the material aspect ratio. It is found that a small concentration of filler could affect the modulus and viscosity of PP melt significantly.

1) Poly(propylene)/Carbon Nanofiber Nanocomposites: Ex Situ Solvent-Assisted Preparation and Analysis of Electrical and Electronic Properties, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, DOI:10.1002/mame.201000341, (2011)

2) Ex-Situ Solvent-Assisted Prepared Magnetic Polypropylene Nanocomposites Filled with Fe@FeO Nanoparticles, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, DOI: 10.1002/mame.201100010, (2011)