Morphological, viscoelastic and mechanical characterization of polypropylene/exfoliated graphite nanocomposites

Abstract

The viscoelastic, mechanical and morphological properties of polypropylene/exfoliated graphite nanocomposites with different contents of nanofiller were investigated. According to transmission electron microscopy results, the nanofiller particles were homogeneously dispersed in the matrix. The rheological properties indicated that incorporation of graphite improved the matrix stiffness and had a reinforcing effect. Exfoliated graphite had a weak interaction with the polypropylene. The behavior of the nanocomposites was similar to that of polypropylene in terms of the interfacial detachment inferred from the transmission electron microscopy images and of their G’ (storage) and G’’ (loss) moduli, and viscosity. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites compared to the matrix improved significantly for the flexural and storage moduli with little loss of impact strength.