pps proceeding - Abstract Preview
pps proceeding
Symposium: S06 - Injection Molding and Extrusion
Oral Presentation
 
 

Microinjection Molding of Polypropylene/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes Nanocomposites

Zhou Shengtai (1)*, Hrymak Andrew (1), Kamal Musa (2)

(1) The University of Western Ontario - Ontario - Canada, (2) McGill University - Quebec - Canada

A series of polypropylene/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PP/CNT) nanocomposite were prepared via melt dilution and then subjected to microinjection molding (µIM). A micro-part (µ-part) which has a three-step decrease in thickness along the flow direction was fabricated. The distribution of CNT within the µ-parts was evaluated by morphological observations and electrical resistivity measurements. To assess the influence of shear rates on electrical resistivity of subsequent moldings, compression molding was employed to prepare samples with the same filler concentrations as the injection molded µ-parts. Results indicated that the percolation threshold for the µ-parts shifted to higher filler concentrations when compared with the value obtained for their compression molded counterparts. This suggests that the microstructure of moldings could be significantly affected by the utilization of a different molding process. This is largely attributed to the variation of shearing conditions, which influence the orientation and quality of CNT dispersion.