The effect of montmorillonite modification and the use of coupling agent on mechanical properties of polypropylene–clay nanocomposites

In this work, polypropylene (PP)–clay nanocomposites obtained by melt blending were investigated. Different commercial montmorillonites (MMTs), such as unmodified MMT, octadecyl ammonium-modified MMT, and dimethyl dialkyl ammonium-modified MMT, have been used. Maleic anhydride–polypropylene (MAPP) copolymer has been used as a coupling agent, and the effect of clay modification as well as MMT: MAPP ratio on final nanocomposites performance was studied. The transmission electron microscopy was used to evaluate the incorporation of clays into the PP matrix. The isothermal crystallization behavior of neat PP and different nanocomposites was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. Only nanocomposites based on organically modified MMT showed mechanical performance improvements. Nanocomposite reinforced with 5 wt% of organically modified MMT without MAPP showed modulus and strength values of 871 and 29.3 MPa, respectively, these values being higher, around 23% and 4.6%, respectively, than modulus and strength values of neat PP. The incorporation of MMT into the PP matrix produced an increment on the crystallinity rate with respect to neat PP. The half crystallization time of nanocomposites without MAPP was, at least, two times faster than for a neat PP system.