The Development of Structure in a Melt Blended Polypropylene Organoclay Nanocomposite

摘要

The development of structure was evaluated for a melt blended polypropylene organoclay nanocomposite on a co-rotating intermeshing twin-screw extruder. The development of structure was investigated by evaluating the degree of dispersion of the clay platelets as a function of distance (or shear history) down the length of a specially designed clam-shell extruder. The dispersion was characterized by optical and TEM microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and mechanical property testing. The results show the development of structure from the initial large agglomerates to the final mixture of exfoliated and intercalated platelets.