Water Absorption Properties and Morphology of Polypropylene/Polycarbonate/Polypropylene-graft-Maleic Anhydride Blends

This work investigates the effect of blending polycarbonate (PC) into polypropylene (PP) matrix polymer on water absorption properties and morphology. The blends, containing 5% to 35% of polycarbonate and 5% compatibilizer, were compounded using twin – screw extruder and fabricated into standard...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Megat-Yusoff, Puteri Sri Melor, Mat Shayuti, Muhammad S., Abdullah, Mohamad Zaki
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.utp.edu.my/8349/1/WaterAbsorption_shafiq.pdf
http://eprints.utp.edu.my/8349/
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Summary:This work investigates the effect of blending polycarbonate (PC) into polypropylene (PP) matrix polymer on water absorption properties and morphology. The blends, containing 5% to 35% of polycarbonate and 5% compatibilizer, were compounded using twin – screw extruder and fabricated into standard tests samples using compression molding. The compatibilizer used was polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA). In water absorption test, specimens were immersed in distilled water at 23oC and 100oC. In 23oC immersion, PC showed the highest absorption at 0.362 wt%, while PP was the lowest at 0.064 wt%. The blends demonstrated transitional absorption value between PP and PC. In 100oC immersion, 90/5/5, 80/15/5, and 70/25/5 compositions (PP/PC/PP-g-MA) exhibited lower absorption than PP, indicating enhanced long – term degradation resistance in water compared to PP. Microscopy analysis showed that PC existed as fibers, dispersed throughout PP matrix.