Tensile properties, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability of short carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene composites

This study investigated the morphology, tensile properties, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability of short carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene (CF/PP) composites. CF/PP composites were prepared with varying amounts of short carbon fiber (9, 15, 20, 25, and 30 wt%) in PP matrix with and without maleic anhydride grafting PP as a coupling agent. Samples were prepared by extrusion blending followed by injection molding. Results showed that the addition of CFs significantly improved the tensile modulus and tensile strength of composites by 455% and 168%, respectively, at 30 wt% loading compared with pure PP. Thermogravimetric analysis results indicated that increasing the CF content improved the thermal stability of composites compared with PP. In addition, thermal conductivity increased with increasing CF weight fraction. The microstructural analysis results showed that maleic anhydride grafting PP improved the adhesion between carbon fibers and PP matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E664-E670, 2018. (c) 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers