2022 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 29-35
Polypropylene （PP）-based composites have been used in a wide range of applications due to light weight, chemical resistance and excellent molding processability. However, the interface between PP and an inorganic filler is not generally well-controlled, resulting in that the mechanical properties have been not so improved as desired. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of addition of a functionalized polymer, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene （PP-g-MA）, on the tensile properties for PP composites in which silica or alumina particles （SiO2 or Al2O3） are mixed as a filler. Scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the interaction of PP-g-MA was stronger with Al2O3 than with SiO2. Also, the tensile stress at yield（ sy） was higher for the PP/PP-g-MA/Al2O3 composite than for the PP/PP-g-MA/SiO2 composite. Thus, it can be claimed that the control of the interfacial interaction between polymer matrix and filler based on the addition of the functionalized polymer is a promising way to improve the mechanical properties of polymer composites.
