Preparation and Characterization of Polypropylene/Superfine Down Powder Blend Films

Abstract

To develop a novel hygroscopic PP film available for functional application, superfine down powder (SDP) was blended with polypropylene (PP) to produce blend pellets, and the extruded pellets were hot-pressed into blend films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photos showed the interface between SDP and PP matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the crystallinity of PP/SDP blend films decreased with increasing SDP content. Compared to pure PP film, PP/SDP blend films showed higher moisture regain, improved thermal stability and more residues at 600°C according to thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves showed that the addition of SDP accelerated the crystallization process of PP matrix. The water absorption of PP/SDP blend films with 50 wt% SDP achieved an increase of 11.9%. It was worth noting that the water absorption and mechanical properties of PP/SDP blend films depended on SDP content.