Microstructure dependent properties of polypropylene‐clay nanocomposites

The mechanical properties of melt processed polypropylene-montmorillonite nanocomposites were studied as a function of clay content. The measurement of tensile properties at room temperature and dynamic mechanical properties over a wide temperature range reveal a decrease in modulus and tensile strength of the composite with increasing clay content. The origins of this anomalous result were examined in detail using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimeter, which averaged the microstructure over reasonable specimen volumes. Micromechanical models could be used to adequately describe the composite properties, provided appropriate properties for the matrix and particle were used. The matrix properties were found to affect the average properties significantly.