Polypropylene/Carbon Nanotube Composites Prepared with a Environmentally Benign Processes

Polypropylene (PP)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) composites were prepared with an environmentally benign processes. The surface functionalization of the MWNTs was performed with water as a solvent, and the functionalized MWNTs were mixed with PP to form composites with a melt process. The effects of the MWNTs on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were studied. The tensile strength and modulus of the composites increased with the amount of MWNTs. The thermal stability was also improved by the reinforced MWNTs. The MWNTs also improved the oxidative stability of the composite on UV irradiation. Although pure PP degraded almost completely after 12 h of irradiation, the composite reinforced with MWNTs retained some level of mechanical strength after UV irradiation. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1335- 1340, 2010