Towards textile-based fiber-reinforced thermoplastic nanocomposites:: Melt spun polypropylene-montmorillonite nanocomposite fibers

The present work is aimed at assessing the feasibility of integrating thermoplastic polypropylene nanocomposite matrices into conventional fiber-reinforced composites based on hybrid textiles that incorporate both the matrix and glass-fiber yarns, in order to reduce impregnation times. The focus is on the preparation and properties of the polypropylene nanocomposite fiber precursors and the implications for composite processing in general. However, preliminary results are also given that demonstrate satisfactory impregnation and consolidation of simple textiles produced by co-weaving the nanocomposite yarns with glass-fibers, given suitable processing conditions.