Studies on Development of Polypropylene-Clay Nanocomposite for Automotive Applications

Abstract

Polymer composites are widely used in a variety of applications involving automotive parts, consumer products, and electronics.1,2 In recent years, polymer clay nanocomposites have drawn great interest from both the industry and academia because they often exhibit remarkable improvements in materials properties at very low clay loading (up to 5 wt. %) when compared to pristine polymer or conventional composites3. Since low amounts of fillers are used in the composite, density of the final product can be reduced, leading to improved fuel efficiency and reduced pollution. Nanocomposites constitute a class of material having nanoscale dispersion, typically 100 nm, of the filler phase in a given matrix. Polymer clay nanocomposites have shown dramatic enhancements in mechanical properties (modulus and strength), thermal properties (heat resistance and flammability), and barrier properties.4 The need to develop new materials with better barrier properties5,6 is because of stricter permeation7 standards, which allow permeation8 of 2.5 grams/sq. meter/day for < 225 cc engine displacement. Therefore, nanocomposites may be used to manufacture automotive parts with reduced weight, reduced part thickness and overall cost reduction9 as compared to existing materials. The fast pace of research in polymer clay nanocomposites has already developed some products that are being used commercially for certain applications10 such as nylon nanocomposites11 in automotives12, and in packaging film13. Other nanocomposite systems that have been extensively reported in the literature include polymer matrices14 such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), etc.