THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY and TENSILE PROPERTIES OF HOLLOW GLASS MICROSPHERE / POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES

Abstract

In\nthis study, hollow glass microspheres (HGM) filled polypropylene (PP)\ncomposites were prepared by melt extrusion method. In order to understand the\neffect of structure and physical properties on the performance of composites,\nthe morphologies, tensile properties and thermal conductivities of composites\nwere investigated. The surface of HGMs\nwere modified with 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (TMSM)\nsilane coupling agent to improve the compatibility between PP matrix and HGMs.\nThe physical properties of silane modified and unmodified HGMs were\ncharacterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The effect of HGM content and surface\nmodification of HGM on morphological, mechanical and thermal conductivity\nproperties of composites were evaluated. The\nresults indicated that the surface modification of HGM enhance the interfacial\nregion between HGM and polymer matrix. When 20 wt % modified HGM was added to\nneat PP, the modulus of the composite obtained was 1057 MPa, increasing by\n15.1% compared with that of the PP/unmodified HGM composite. However, any positive or consistent effect of surface\nmodification and HGM addition on thermal conductivity of samples can not be\nobserved.