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Improvement of Water Vapor Permeability in Polypropylene Composite Films by the Synergy of Carbon Nanotubes and β-Nucleating Agents.
- Source :
- Polymers (20734360); Nov2023, Vol. 15 Issue 22, p4432, 18p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- A notable application of polymeric nanocomposites is the design of water vapor permeable (WVP) membranes. "Breathable" membranes can be created by the incorporation of micro/nanofillers, such as CaCO<subscript>3</subscript>, that interrupt the continuity of the polymeric phase and when subjected to additional uniaxial or biaxial stretching this process leads to the formation of micro/nanoporous structures. Among the candidate nanofillers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have demonstrated excellent intrinsic WVP properties. In this study, chemically modified MWCNTs with oligo olefin-type groups (MWCNT-g-PP) are incorporated by melt processes into a PP matrix; a β-nucleating agent (β-ΝA) is also added. The crystallization behavior of the nanocomposite films is evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The WVP performance of the films is assessed via the "wet" cup method. The nanohybrid systems, incorporating both MWCNT-g-PP and β-NA, exhibit enhanced WVP compared to films containing only MWCNT-g-PP or β-NA. This improvement can be attributed to the significant increase in the growth of α-type crystals taking place at the edges of the CNTs. This increased crystal growth exerts a form of stress on the metastable β-phase, thereby expanding the initial microporosity. In parallel, the coexistence of the inherently water vapor-permeable CNTs, further enhances the water vapor permeability reaching a specific water vapor transmission rate (Sp.WVTR) of 5500 μm.g/m<superscript>2</superscript>.day in the hybrid composite compared to 1000 μm.g/m<superscript>2</superscript>.day in neat PP. Notably, the functionalized MWCNT-g-PP used as nanofiller in the preparation of the "breathable" PP films demonstrated no noteworthy cytotoxicity levels within the low concentration range used, an important factor in terms of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20734360
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 22
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Polymers (20734360)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 173864903
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15224432