形状制御したタルク/ポリプロピレンの引張特性

抄録

Plate-shaped talc particles are very attractive as inorganic fillers for polymer composites. Polypropylene (PP) compounded with talc particles has been used widely for automobile plastic parts. However, though the stiffness and strength of talc/PP composites are increased, the elongation at the break of talc/PP composites is greatly decreased, compared to that of neat PP. Decrea、sing the elongation at the break of those composites is strongly influenced by the shape of talc particles. Talc has a layered structure which is regularly piled up in silicate and magnesia layers. In this study, shape-controlled talc particles were manufactured by using a high-pressure water jet apparatus and shape-controlled talc particles were compounded with PP by using an extruder. The thickness of the talc particles in PP was measured by observation of the fracture surface of injection molding specimens of talc/PP composites with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The distribution of measured thickness of talc particles was evaluated by using particle size distribution analysis software Mac-View. The plate size of talc particles was also measured by the laser scattering distribution analyzer. Effects of mean thickness, thickness distribution and plate size of talc particles on tensile properties of composites were discussed.