Evaluation of different routes for obtaining polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride and its effect on compatibilization of nanocomposites

• Grant number: 12/08884-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Helena Prado Bettini
• Grantee: Bianca Maia Frenhe
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Grafting of maleic anhydride in polypropylene aims to obtain a compatibilizing agent used in systems incompatible. The reactions of obtaining such compatibilizing agents have been conducted, preferably by reactive processing due to the fact that this is a continuous process and proceed in the absence of solvents. Studies by our group has demonstrated that the presence of montmorillonite (MMT) reduces the occurrence of undesirable side reactions (chain scissions polypropylene), which makes the polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) suitable for use as compatibilizing agent in nanocomposites PP and MMT. The grafting reactions, however, have been conducted in a rheometers torque mixers, where the shear rate profile is very different from that in extruders. In this project we intend to consider this reaction in the presence of montmorillonite in a twin screw extruders, varying the ratio of the the montmorillonite and peroxide (initiator of the reaction) and evaluate the different PP-g-MA's obtained in the compatibility of nanocomposites of polypropylene and montmorillonite. (AU)