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Morphological and structural properties of isotactic polypropylene filled with nano-zinc oxide as investigated by dynamic rheology, creep and recovery in shear

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Abstract

Morphological and structural properties of nano-zinc oxide/isotactic polypropylene (nano-ZnO/iPP) composites with different nano-ZnO concentrations before and after compatibilization were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic rheology, shear creep and creep-recovery measurements. The complex viscosity and storage modulus of the composite melts first decrease and then increase with increasing nano-ZnO loading. The pseudo-solid-like behavior appearing in high-loaded composites could be attributed to the formation of the filler percolation network resulting from particle–particle interactions. The incorporating of maleic anhydride/styrene-grafted random copolypropylene (MPP) brings about the reduction of the number of big agglomerates of nano-ZnO, followed by the decrease in modulus and viscosity. Large nano-ZnO agglomerates or more complete percolation network formation enhances the creep resistance of iPP. This finding is explained by the existence of long relaxation time in the high-loaded system assigned to the relaxation of the iPP chains attached to the particle surface. Moreover, MPP has a pronounced influence on the shear creep and recovery behavior of the composites. Weighted relaxation spectra calculated from the dynamic frequency sweep together with shear creep and recovery curves quantify these assumptions. Dynamic rheology and shear creep and creep-recovery measurements are sensitive tools to get insights into the dispersion state of nanoparticles in the polymer composites, as well as the interactions (i.e., particle-polymer interaction, particle–particle interaction) in such systems.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China

    Jingru Liu & Hongwei Liang

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  1. Jingru Liu
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  2. Hongwei Liang
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Correspondence to Jingru Liu.

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Liu, J., Liang, H. Morphological and structural properties of isotactic polypropylene filled with nano-zinc oxide as investigated by dynamic rheology, creep and recovery in shear. Polym. Bull. 79, 7923–7937 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-03890-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-03890-9

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