Poly(propylene)/clay nanocomposites prepared by reactive compounding with an epoxy based masterbatch

Poly(propylene) (PP)/clay nanocomposites have been prepared via a novel reactive compounding approach, in which an epoxy based masterbatch consisting of 20 wt.-% clay was introduced to poly(propylene) with the aid of a maleic anhydride grafted PP (MAPP). The masterbatch was prepared using a recently developed slurry compounding technique. After melt compounding, most clay particles have been exfoliated and dispersed into small stacks with several clay layers. WAXD data shows that the dispersion of clay is better at low clay content or high MAPP content. Due to the novelty of the preparation process and complication of the system, the tensile properties of nanocomposites exhibit some unique tendencies with varying the content of MAPP or masterbatch. It is believed that the yield strength and Young's modulus can be dramatically improved after minimizing the excess of unreacted epoxy and optimizing the dispersion of clay.