Why POSS-Type Compounds Should Be Considered Nanomodifiers, Not Nanofillers—A Polypropylene Blends Case Study

Abstract

In this work, a series of silsesquioxanes (SSQ) and spherosilicates (SS), comprising a group of cage siloxane (CS) compounds, was tested as functional additives for preparation of isotactic polypropylene (iPP)-based nanocomposites and discussed in the aspect of their rationale of applicability as such additives. For this purpose, the compounds were prepared by condensation and olefin hydrosilylation reactions. The effect of these cage siloxane products on properties of obtained CS/iPP nanocomposites was analyzed by means of mechanical, microscopic (scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy), thermal (differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry), thermomechanical (Vicat softening point) analyses. The results were compared with the previous findings on CS/polyolefin composites. The role of CS compounds was discussed in terms of plastic processing additives.

Keywords

• nanomodifiers
• additives
• composites
• polypropylene (PP)
• processing
• thermal properties