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. 2023 Sep 4;9(9):e19638.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19638. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Development of nanoparticle-filled polypropylene-based single polymer composite foams

Ákos Görbe  1 , László József Varga  1 , Tamás Bárány  1   2
Affiliations

Development of nanoparticle-filled polypropylene-based single polymer composite foams

Ákos Görbe et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

In this study, our focus was on developing and investigating nanoparticle-filled polypropylene-based single polymer composite foams. These composites had porous and nanotube-reinforced matrices, with plain woven polypropylene (PP) fabric as reinforcement. Our main objective was to enhance the energy absorption and stiffness of the single polymer composites (SPCs) by modifying their matrices. We produced SPCs with two different matrices: one of amorphous poly-alpha-olefin (APAO) and one of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) blended with APAO. We observed that the APAO matrix exhibited better impregnation of the fabric due to its low viscosity, while the composites with the TPE matrix showed significantly better tensile properties. The foaming process applied to the matrices resulted in a substantial increase in energy absorption for the SPCs, while preserving their tensile properties relative to their density. Scanning electron microscope images confirmed that foaming of the APAO matrix was notably more effective, primarily due to its low viscosity. Furthermore, we successfully enhanced the stiffness and tensile properties of the SPCs by nano-reinforcing the matrices with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Due to the size of the nanotubes, this reinforcement did not compromise the impact properties of the SPCs. Scanning electron microscope images also demonstrated improved dispersion of the nanotubes within the APAO matrices.

Keywords: Foaming; Impact properties; Mechanical properties; Nanocomposites; Single polymer composites (SPC).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The fabric coating apparatus.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The layout of matrix foaming.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Flowchart of the manufacturing process (a. SPC_APAO, b. SPC_TPE).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The dumbbell specimen used for the tensile tests of the matrices.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
SEM images of the 5 wt% MWCNT masterbatches (a. APAO; b. TPE c. PP).
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
SEM images of the MWCNT-filled matrices (a. APAO, b. TPE).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Typical stress–strain curves of the matrices.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
SEM-images of the cross-section of the SPCs with a non-foamed matrix (a. SPC_APAO, b. SPC_APAO/CNT, c. SPC_TPE, d. SPC_TPE/CNT).
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
SEM images of the cross-section SPCs with foamed APAO matrix (a. and c. SPC_APAO foamed, b. and d. SPC_APAO/CNT foamed).
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
SEM images of the cross-section SPCs with foamed TPE matrix (a. and c. SPC_TPE foamed, b. and d. SPC_TPE/CNT foamed).
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Typical flexural curves of the composites.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
DMA curves of the composites (a. Storage modulus, b. tan(δ)).
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Typical tensile curves of the composites.
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Relative force–displacement curves of the composites (a.: APAO, b.: TPE).
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Photo images of the samples after impact test (a. SPC_APAO, b. SPC_APAO/CNT, c. SPC_TPE, d. SPC_TPE/CNT).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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