Ultrasonic effects on PP/PS/clay nanocomposites during continuous melt compounding process

Polymer blend/clay nanocomposites were prepared by ultrasonic-assisted continuous extrusion process. This process was employed to enhance the compatibility between two polymers, and nano-scale dispersion between the polymer blend and organically modified clay. Materials were linear polypropylene and polystyrene with 3 phr loading of organophilic montmorillonite clay. The effectiveness of the proposed ultrasonic-assisted process on the polypropylene/polystyrene/clay nanocomposites was confirmed by rheological property measurements and structural analysis by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The sonication during extrusion was effective in improving the compatibility between polypropylene and polystyrene. Also, it led to enhanced breakup of the clay agglomerates. The observed clay was in the exfoliated state from the X-ray diffraction analysis.