Elaboration and Characterization of Recycled PP/Clay Nanocomposites

In this paper, the elaboration and characterization of recycled polypropylene/Tunisian clay nanocomposites has been investigated. When recycled, polypropylene polymer is degraded and has poorer mechanical and rheological properties. To overcome this problem, we proposed to incorporate Tunisian clay nanoparticles in recycled polypropylene (rPP) matrix. The incorporation of Tunisian clay was performed in molten state using maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) as compatibilizer. The dispersion of clay in rPP polymer was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Thus, Tunisian clay was more dispersed in nanocomposites with the increase of Tunisian clay loading. In dead, the incorporation of silicate layers gave rise to a considerable increase of the static viscosity demonstrating the reinforcing effect of Tunisian clay nanofillers on rPP matrix. However, the increasing trend of morphological and rheological properties is lower when the clay content exceeds 5%

Reinforcement of recycled PP polymers by nanoparticles incorporation

Recycling process seems to be the most efficient way to reduce ecological impacts of used polymers. Nevertheless, the properties of the recycled PP polymer are proved to be insufficient during its reuse, particularly with regard to its thermo-mechanical and rheological behaviors. The incorporation of nanoparticles as fillers into polymer matrix seems to be one of the most successful solutions to upgrade recycled PP polymer. This paper presents an overview on the application of different nanofillers such as clay, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), Silica (SiO2), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNT), antioxidizers and others into recycled PP matrix. Literature works on the effects of nanofillers on obtained nanocomposites are extensively studied. The first section deals with PP recycling and its impact on thermal, mechanical and rheological properties of the polymer. Then, the second part summarizes recent studies on the effects of nanoparticles incorporation on thermo-mechanical and rheological properties of recycled PP. Finally, recyclability of PP-based nanocomposites is discussed

Electrospuns including clay and ordered mesoporous silica materials

This study has been conducted to produce nanofibers charged with synthetic clays (montmorillonite and laponite) or ordered mesoporous silica by electrospinning process. The first challenge of this project was to analyse and optimize the dispersion of these particles into the olyacrylonitrile(PAN)/Dimethylformamide(DMF)solution. Solutions have been prepared with special mechanical treatment to make them homogeneously dispersed before the electrospinning process. Morphology and homogeneity have been checked by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It has been observed that the mechanical treatment changes the dispersion of the fillers inside the nanofibers. The key parameters controlling the dispersion and the spinning have been determined and optimized. The diameters have been measured by using Image J software. Influence of spinning parameters has been investigated to compare the nanocomposites homogeneity in terms of fibers diameter and particles dispersion