Thermoplastic composite system using polymer blend and fillers

Abstract

Polymer matrix composites are replacing traditional materials in space, defense, marine and many other engineering applications. This fact is owed to the fact of the mass to strength ratio that can be tailored/ engineered in polymer matrix composites. Using a compatibilizer, polycarbonates (PC) were blended with polypropylene (PP) in specific weight percentages to achieve optimum properties followed by the introduction of Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT). Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) reached a maximum value (28.36 N/mm2) when the HNT is 3%. Thermal properties were measured using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry and showed no dependence with HNT loading with respect to degradation peak and crystallization temperature.

Keywords

• Thermoplastic Composites
• Nano fillers
• Polymer blend
• Polymer Characterization