Effect of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polypropylene Matrix

In the last years, a remarkable increase in the use of nanoparticles as fillers of polymer materials has been detected. It is mainly due to the excellent properties that these materials can provide when added to polymer matrices as a consequence of the high specific surface, so that, small additions can lead to a remarkable increase in overall properties. Small additions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a polypropylene matrix promote an increase in mechanical and thermal performance. Presence of CNTs leads to formation of interlock points with polypropylene chains and this has a positive effect on mechanical properties; thus an increase in elastic modulus and tensile strength are obtained for relatively small amounts of CNTs in the 1-3 wt.%. Regarding thermal properties, it is important to note that a remarkable increase of thermal stability is detected at medium temperatures (oxidation onset measured by differential scanning calorymetry) and high temperatures (degradation measured by thermogravymetric analysis). So, we can conclude that the use of small additions of CNTs is a useful technique to improve polypropylene performance from both technical and economical point of view since good balanced properties are obtained. Furthermore, the cost of these nanoparticles has decreased considerably in the last years and.