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Mechanical properties and crystalline structures of PPR modified by SEBS elastomer and rare-earth β nucleating agent

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Abstract

There is of great interest in modification of polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) to improve the applicability. In this study, poly(styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene) (SEBS) and a rare-earth β nucleating agent (WBG-II) were utilized to modify PPR (SEBS(m)–WBG-II(n)/PPR systems). The mechanical properties and crystalline structures of modified PPR were investigated. The SEBS elastomer (10 wt%)-coupled WBG-II (0.08 wt%)-modified PPR showed significantly high Izod impact strength relative to sole SEBS elastomer or sole WBG-II-modified PPR. The yield strength, flexural strength and elongation at break were limitedly affected by the modification. The SEBS elastomer partially hindered the nucleation effect of WBG-II, causing decreased relative contents of β-crystal of SEBS(m)–WBG-II(n)/PPR systems. The SEBS elastomer and WBG-II jointly induced crazing and shear deformation absorbed more energy under external shocks, causing the improvement of toughness. The fast cooling of molding benefited Izod impact strength of modified PPR. The combined modifications of PPR throw a new light to further improve the overall performance.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51209216) and Academic Innovation Team foundation of CUPSL (No. 1000-10814340).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Science and Technology, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, 102249, China

    Hong-Yan Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Ya Lv

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  1. Hong-Yan Zhang
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  2. Ya Lv
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Correspondence to Hong-Yan Zhang.

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Zhang, HY., Lv, Y. Mechanical properties and crystalline structures of PPR modified by SEBS elastomer and rare-earth β nucleating agent. Chem. Pap. 71, 2533–2543 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-017-0249-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-017-0249-x

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