Study of Mechanical, Thermal and Micro structural Properties of EPDM/Polypropylene/Nano clay Composites with Variable Compatibilizer Dosage

Thermoplastic elastomers are a special class of polymeric materials that combine the properties of thermo plasticity during processing and rubber-like behaviour in service. They can be processed in conventional plastic processing equipment, such as twin screw extruders, internal batch mixers, extruders and injection moulding machine, but exhibit vulcanized rubber like ultimate properties (i.e. long-range reversible extensibility) immediately on cooling. Dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic nanocomposites (TPV NC) based on melt intercalated hybrid ethylenepropylene diene rubber (EPDM)/maleic anhydride (MA) grafting and polypropylene (PP) with nanoclay were prepared. Nanoclay acts as a nucleating agent for polypropylene crystallization; they also form physical interlocking between EPDM/Polypropylene blends which serve the function of compatibalization along with EPDM – g – Maleic anhydride. Results from X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermo gravimetric analysis and mechanical properties, reflect upon the microstructure developed during dynamic cross linking. The nanoclay forms intercalated and exfoliated structures in the EPDM/PP / EPDM-g-MA nanoclay hybrid thermoplastic vulcanizates. The EPDM/PP TPV nanocomposites show a matrix-disperse type of morphology in which the cross linked EPDM particles appear in the form of agglomerates covered by a layer of PP nanoclay composites. This has been assigned to the formation of a nanoclay network structure by the layer of nano composite PP covered EPDM rubber particles. KeywordsNanoclay, Dynamic vulcanizates, Thermoplastic nanocomposites, Intercalated, Exfoliated