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pps proceeding
Symposium: Nanocomposite Materials & Processing
Oral Presentation
 
 

A Study On Optimization Of Mechanical Properties for Polypropylene Nanocomposites Based On Layered Silicates Using Extensional Flow Inducing Multinozzle Systems

Neunhäuserer Andreas (1)*, Battisti Markus (1), Friesenbichler Walter (1)

(1) Montanuniversität Leoben - Leoben - Austria

In recent years, nano-reinforced polymers gained more and more importance due to their superior mechanical, thermal and rheological properties. Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) based on layered silicates are accompanied by improved mechanical properties like Young’s-Modulus and yield stress. In earlier works, it was proved that it is possible to increase the material properties up to 60 % for PNCs based on layered silicates by using elongational flow devices with super imposed shear- and elongational flow. Based on the full factorial 2^3 design (DoE), it was possible to gain knowledge which factors of the various nozzle geometries have the most significant influence on the mechanical properties. The aim of this work is to increase the material properties further more. Following the results of the earlier work, a flexible multi-nozzle system consisting out of one case/adapter and four different inserts was designed. These inserts have four different configurations, e.g. nozzle 1/relaxation chamber/nozzle 2. This system generates more super-imposed shear and elongational flow, as a result improves the exfoliation and intercalation and therefore increases the mechanical properties even more. The varying factor in the injection molding process is the injection flow rate, which is proportional to the elongational rate. The effect of the different multi-nozzles has been tested for two different PP-Types, one lower viscous homopolymer and one higher viscous block copolymer, and two different nanofillers, one based on montmorillonite and the other based on phlogopite. The influence of the multi-nozzles on the mechanical properties has been determined by tensile tests. The influence on the exfoliation and intercalation, which are critical for the mechanical properties, has been checked with Small Angle X-Ray (SAXS) measurements.