Selective Distribution, Reinforcement, and Toughening Roles of MWCNTs in Immiscible Polypropylene/Ethylene-co-vinyl Acetate Blends

Polypropylene/ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (PP/EVA) nanocomposites with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) have been prepared. The dissolution experiment, transmission electronic microscope, and scanning electronic microscope characterizations prove that, in the nanocomposites with sea-island morphology, although some FMWCNTs are observed in both PP and EVA phases, most of FMWCNTs distribute at the interface; however, in the nanocomposites with cocontinuous morphology, FMWCNTs mainly distribute in EVA phase. Further results based on (differential scanning calorimetry) measurements show that the different dispersion states of FMWCNTs, which are resulted by the different melt blending sequences, result in the different crystallization behaviors of PP matrix. The mechanical measurements show that FMWCNTs exhibit apparent reinforcement and toughening effects for immiscible PP/EVA blends, and such effects are greatly dependent upon the blending sequences. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1882-1892, 2010