Experimental investigation on the mechanical properties of Co-polypropylene/GF/CaCO3 hybrid nanocomposites

This study aimed to acquire a balance of mechanical properties comprising impact, tensile and flexural performances in PP based blend. In this respect, co-PP was employed as matrix because of its intrinsic high impact behavior. Hybrid nanocomposites based on co-PP and containing 10 wt % micron-sized short glass fibers (GF) and 2 to 8 wt % nano precipitated CaCO3 (NPCC) particles were produced by applying a two-step melt compounding method. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used as compatibilizer. Strong glass fiber-matrix adhesion and relatively uniform distribution of nano-CaCO3 particles were observed in SEM images. The maximum tensile strength was observed in co-PP hybrid nanocomposite containing 10 wt % glass fiber and 5 wt % nano-CaCO3 which was 58% more than that of neat co-PP. Flexural strength raised as much as 11% by adding glass fiber. The maximum flexural strength was obtained by incorporating 10 wt % glass fiber and 8 wt % nano-CaCO3 into co-PP matrix which was 24% higher than that of neat co-PP. The impact strength decreased upon addition of 10 wt % glass fiber and 5 and 8 wt % nano-CaCO3, this was attributed to the inherent high impact behavior of co-PP as well as strong interfacial interaction between dispersed phases and polymeric matrix.