Electrical Conductivity, Thermal, Rheological and Morphological Characteristics of Grafted Blend of Polypyrole and Polypropylene

Abstract

Grafted blends of polypyrole (PPy) and polypropylene (PP) were prepared by melt mixing in assisted sonicator twin screw extruder. Dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was used as grafting agent. Electrical conductivity, thermal, rheological and morphological properties of the blend were investigated as a function of PPy composition. Electrical conductivity of PPy-g-PP increased with increasing PPy content. Thermal analysis shows a decrease in melting temperature and crystallinity values as the PPy content increased. This indicates a strong interaction between PPy and PP phase while DCP has successfully acted as crosslinking and grafting agent. Scanning electron microscopy observations on tensile fracture shows an agglomeration behaviour become obvious as PPy content was increased. Despite of that, PPy particles were highly dispersed in the PP matrix indicating a good interaction between the component polymers.