以聚丙烯(PP)为聚合物基体,天然凹凸棒石(ATP)为无机组分,经过氧化聚乙烯对ATP表面进行包覆处理,用熔融共混的方法制备了PP/ATP纳米复合材料.扫描电镜结果显示,经本方法处理后的ATP在PP基体中分散较为均匀.ATP棒晶簇直径最佳分散尺寸能达到20~40nm,比未处理ATP在基体中的棒晶簇直径小10nm以上;XRD测试表明,未处理ATP和处理后的ATP均有使PP晶粒细化的作用,同时不改变PP的α晶型;DSC结果显示,ATP的加入提高了PP的结晶温度和结晶度,说明ATP有一定的成核作用.通过对复合材料的力学性能测试发现,经过处理的ATP制备的复合材料力学性能优于未处理ATP复合材料对PP力学性能的改善.其中ATP与氧化聚乙烯固含量的质量比为2:1,ATP含量为3wt%时复合材料力学性能达到最好.缺口冲击强度比纯PP最高提高了83%,提高幅度显著;经过处理的ATP制备的复合材料拉伸强度提高了6%~11%;弯曲强度提高了33%~45%;弯曲模量提高了90%~106%.
Polypropylene (PP)/attapulgite (ATP) nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties were prepared by a simple and efficient method of melt blending without adding any bulking agent. ATP was pretreated by emulsion oxidized polyethylene envelop, and then dispersed by strong shear stress. The novel pretreatment method in preparing nanocomposites leads higher mechanical properties than those of PP/untreated ATP nanocomposites and pure PP. The impact strength of the composites was increased by 44 % - 83 %, and the tensile strength was increased by 6% - 11%. At the mean time, the flexural strength was increased by 33 % -45 % and the modulus of flexural was increased by 90% - 106%. Scan electron microscope (SEM) results reveal that ATP disperses homogeneously in the PP matrix and mainly exist in the form of anomocytic crystal bundle. The diameter of treated ATP units is in the range of 20 - 40 nm that is much less than that of untreated ATP which is in the rang of 50 - 80 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that PP exhibits a crystals in the composites,and no crystalline phase transition occurrs as reposed in literature. The size of PP crystallites was decreased with the addition of ATP. Dynamic mechanical analysis and the results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) reflected that the addition of ATP can increase the crystallization temperature and crystallinity of PP/ATP. It is proved that the addition of ATP also gives nucleation effect. The enhancement of the mechanical properties is mainly contributed by the uniform dispersion of ATP and strong interfacial force of PP/ATP.