Sharif Digital Repository

In recent decades, great attention has been devoted to the toughening of isotactic poly(propylene) (PP) with elastomers such as ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR). The most important reasons for this interest are the moderate cost and favorable properties of PP. This article is focused on the role of EPR in the deformation and fracture mechanism of PP/EPR blends with different volume fractions of elastomer phase. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile tests, and microscopy techniques were used in this study. The fracture mechanism of isotactic PP toughened by EPR (PP/EPR) has also been studied by three point bending (3-PB) and four point bending (4-PB) tests. Rubber particle... 

The correlations between the hardness, yield stress, and modulus of elasticity of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) were evaluated on the local and global scales. Nanoindentation and traditional macromechanical tests were incorporated for this purpose. Thus, local and global mechanical properties were measured at various temperatures and strain rates. A certain relation was found between the local and global mechanical properties. Moreover, Johnson's model (developed according to the expanding cavity model) was also evaluated at various temperatures and strain rates. The Johnson model was valid only for the yield stresses obtained by nanoindentation and compressive tests and also the elastic... 

Effects of both electron beam irradiation on the properties of polypropylene (PP) films and the irradiation on the different layers of a multilayer PP film are studied. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscope was used to investigate the chemical structure of the films. The results showed that the chemical properties of the first layer were improved, that is, more functional groups responsible for dye ability and hydrophilicity of the film were produced on its surface, while noticeable improvement was not detected on the surface of other layers. This was also confirmed by testing the dye ability of the layers. However, the results obtained by atomic force microscopy showed that the electron... 

In this article, preparation of polypropylene/clay nanocomposites (PPCNC) via in situ polymerization is investigated. MgCl2/montmorillonite bisupported Ziegler-Natta catalyst was used to prepare PPCNC samples. Montmorillonite (MMT) was used as an inert support and reinforcement agent. The nanostructure of the composites was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Obtained results showed that silica layers of the MMT in these PPCNC were intercalated, partially exfoliated, and uniformly dispersed in the polypropylene matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis showed good thermal stability for the prepared PPCNC. Differential... 

Copolypropylene/organoclay nanocomposites are prepared by melt intercalation method in this research. Two different routes for addition of compatibilizer are examined, i.e. addition in the twin-screw extruder along with the polymer and the clay powder simultaneously and premixing the compatibilizer with the reinforcement in a batch mixer before addition to the polypropylene (PP) matrix. Morphology, tensile and impact properties and deformation mechanisms of the samples made via two procedures are studied and compared with those of the noncompatibilized system. To study the structure of nanocomposites, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques are utilized. The... 

In this study, the morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties of PP/HDPE blend compatibilized with poly (propylene-g-maleic anhydride) were studied. Necessary blends were prepared using a counter current twin-screw extruder. The blend composition ranged from 10 to 50 wt% of dispersed phase (HDPE) and compatibilizer (MAPP) with two Concentration ranges 10, 20 wt% were used for PP/HDPE (80/20) blend with respect to the dispersed phase (HDPE). The results of morphological studies shows a droplet dispersion morphology in the composition to 50wt% HDPE content, which indicates that HDPE forms a dispersed phase and PP forms a continuous phase in these composition region. Addition of the...