Polymerization Catalysis, Flexible Polymer and Nanotechnology

This paper addresses the effect of NanoclayNC) on the mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. Many researchers have considered layered silicate as reinforcement for polypropylene in order to enhance its thermal and mechanicalbehavior[1-3]. These enhancements can include higher

moduli, increased strength and heat resistance,decreased permeability and flammability. Hence, nanoclays attracted interest due to the fact that they offer intercalation and exfoliation. Conventional composites usually require as much as 10–50% by weight of filler loading in order to divulge the desired mechanical orthermal properties to the original polymer, but organically modified layered silicates(organoclay) can achieve the same properties with typically 1–5% by weight of filler, thereby producing materials of lower density and better processability [4]. It has been reported that the dispersion of such fillers at the level of a few nanometers induces a significant improvement in mechanical properties compared to the virginpolymer