Organic modifier induced interfacial transformation, morphology and physico-mechanical properties of PP/NR based blend nanocomposites

The influence of incorporating organic modified nanoclay (Cloisite 10A) (C 10A) on the morphology, interfacial characteristics, and physico-mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP) melt blended with natural rubber (NR) is investigated here. Melt-mixing technique was employed to prepare nanocomposites with varying amounts of C 10A (1, 3, 5, 7 phr). Nanoclay, depending on its concentration, ‘instigated dramatic transformation of phase morphology from a co-continuous type to a non-uniform sea-island type leading to well-defined matrix-droplet morphology. Besides, addition of nanoclay refined the phase morphology and effectuated synergistic improvement in physico-mechanical properties, where 3 wt% nanoclay modified system exhibited optimal properties for end use application in automotive industry thereby establishing the morphology-property correlation.