Physical and mechanical properties of SEBS/polypropylene nanocomposites reinforced by nano CaCO3

摘要

In present study, styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylenes)-b-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) and polypropylene (PP) are prepared. This mixing is followed by adding 3, 5 and 10 wt% of nano CaCO3. The morphology and thermal behavior of PP/SEBSano-CaCO3 compounds are characterized by different methods. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of cryo-fractured PP/SEBSano-CaCO3 nanocomposites show that with increasing nano-CaCO3 loading, the aggregation becomes worse. However, followed by adding 5 wt% nano-CaCO3 into PP/SEBS nanocomposites, nano-CaCO3 is homogeneously dispersed in PP matrix. The photomicrograph of transmission electron microscopy confirms that SEBS/PPano-CaCO3 nanocomposites are formed, as low aggregations of calcium carbonate were well-dispersed in polymer matrix. With a rise in nano-filler content, the tensile and impact strength of PP/SEBS/CaCO3 nanocomposite are fixed while the elastic modulus of PP/SEBS nanocomposites increases followed by adding nano-CaCO3 to polymer blend, which could be due to the acceptable nano-CaCO3 dispersion quality.