The effect of extrusion reprocessing cycles on the structure and properties of nano-silica reinforced polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-rubber composites

Abstract

In this study, the effect of repeated extrusion processing cycles on the structure and properties of polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-rubber/nano-silica composites was investigated. The recycling process was simulated by performing three extrusion runs, using a high shear twin screw extruder by varying the speed screw rotation (300, 800, and 1200 r/min), in order to get better understanding of the multi recycling effects. For comparative purposes, neat polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-rubber was also reprocessed under the same conditions as a reference material. From the morphological analyses performed by scanning electron microscopy, multiple extrusions were found to be not only helpful for decreasing the ethylene-propylene-rubber phase size, but also useful for ensuring a more homogenous dispersion of silica nanoparticles within the matrix. The physico-chemical properties analyses illustrate that the repeated cycles of extrusion processing provoke a decrease of the molar masses and an increase in the melt flow index. It was marked that, when going from the 1st to the 2nd extrusion cycle, and by increasing the rotation speed from 300 to 800 r/min at the same cycle, the mechanical properties were greatly enhanced. A substantial improvement of these properties was achieved after incorporating the silica nanoparticles and the maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene copolymer.