Investigation Into Poly(propylene)/Montmorillonite/Calcium Carbonate Nanocomposites

Summary: A novel method was used to prepare poly(propylene)/montmorillonite/calcium carbonate nanocomposites by melt‐mixing, using pristine montmorillonite (MMT), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C16), calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and a matrix in a twin‐screw extruder. Two different sizes of calcium carbonate were used (nanosized CaCO3 and micron‐sized CaCO3, the average sizes being 60 nm and 12 μm respectively). The nanocomposite structure was evidenced using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution electronic microscopy (HREM). Tensile tests and Izod notch impact tests suggested that the incorporation of nanosized CaCO3 into PP/montmorillonite nanocomposites increased the mechanical properties of the composites, but the improvement in the micro‐sized CaCO3‐filled PP/montmorillonite nanocomposites was found to be minimal. The thermal stability and flammability properties were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a cone calorimeter respectively. magnified image