PPE-303 - Polymer Compounding

Week-1
Lect-2

SECTION I: Modifying Specific Properties: Mechanical

Properties

1
Outline

Method of adding
Additives

Fillers and Filler Surface

modification

Reinforcements/Fibers

Plastic colorants
2
Methods of incorporating additives

Added to the monomer i.e. before the

production of the polymer.

Added during the Polymerization.

Incorporated directly before or during molding

of a plastic to a semifinished product or finished
article.

3
Methods of incorporating additives

Addition of additives before polymerization process.

Additives should be inert.

Examples-
1. Stabilization of polyolefin
2. pre stabilization of PVC produced by suspension
polymerization

➢In both cases antioxidants are added to the monomer

4
Methods of incorporating additives

Addition of additives during the Polymerization

Additives used must satisfy specific
requirements determined by the process such
as emulsion/suspension , solubility in certain
solvents , low volatility or stability to
hydrolysis.
Example
In modification of styrene polymer, such as
ABS.

5
 Current Lines of Development

1. Multi-functional additives development

Such as:
i. Talc is added to polypropylene to improve stiffness and heat
stability,
ii. Pigments can aid in UV protection (carbon black),
iii. Plasticizers also function as lubricants and anti-static agents.

The aim:
I. Is to simplify operations at the compounding or processing level
II. Is to remove the need for precision weighing and metering of very
small amounts

6
Current Lines of Development
2. Development of super hydrophobic surfaces using additives:

7
 Current Lines of Development

3. Increasingly strict regulations :

To meet increasingly strict regulations for health and safety, both in

the workplace and in public use.

This particularly affects flame retardants and pigments

Flame retardants: Possible escape of flame-retardant components

during storage, under heat and flame, and in recycling.

Pigments: Legislation has centered on the use of heavy metals in

pigment formulations, possibly creating hazards in disposal of the
product.

8
 1. Fillers

It is used to modify mechanical properties & to reduce the cost.

The use of fillers can influence the polymer properties in the

following ways:

i. Increase in density.
ii. Increase in modulus of elasticity.
iii. Lower shrinkage.
iv. Increase in hardness.
v. Better heat transfer

There must be a trade-off between the required property and

filler loading.
The potential offered by a filler is determined essentially by its
chemistry, and especially by its physical aspects, such as the size
and geometry, surface area, and surface energy of their particles
9
 Classification

1. On the basis of functionality

a. Extenders:

•The extender fillers primarily occupy space and are mainly used to
lower the formulation cost. In general, ideal extender filler should
“Cause no chemical reactivity with the polymer or the additives”

b. Functional fillers:

• Functional fillers, on the other hand, have a definite and required

function in the formulation apart from lowering the formulation
cost.

10
 Classification

1. On the basis of functionality

11
 Classification
1. On the basis of material type

a. Particulate fillers (oxides or carbonates):

• Available in the particle form. Size is crucial factor

• Finer the particle sizes the higher the values of the tensile
strength, modulus, and hardness.

• Phenomenon is called as reinforcement.

• The phenomenon of reinforcement appears to depend on three

factors:
i. An extensity factor
ii. An intensity factor
iii. Geometrical factors

12
 Classification
b. Rubbery fillers:
• Rubbery fillers are often incorporated
into rigid thermoplastics to improve their
toughness.
• The increase in toughness of the material
leads to significant increase in the
fracture resistance of the material

c. Fibrous fillers:
• Fiber is a natural or synthetic substance
that is significantly longer than it is wide.
• The fibers have higher modulus than the
resins in which they are embedded
• the composite of resin plus the fiber is
strained in the plane of the fibrous layer
the bulk of the stress is taken up by the
fiber.
13
Classification

Short glass fiber

Long glass fiber

Aramid Fiber
Carbon fiber

14
 Principal filler types/common particulate
fillers
A. Mineral Fillers Produced Directly from Natural Sources
i. Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3
ii. Clay/ Nano-Clays
iii. Talc
iv. Mica
v. Wollastonite
vi. Crystalline Silicas
vii. Calcium Sulphate

B. Synthetic Fillers
i. Carbon Black
ii. Silicas
iii. Microspheres Ref-2 (Slides for Lectr-1)

15
 Particulate Filler Surface modification

Why Filler surface modification?

❑ Poor adhesion between polymer and filler is a main

problem

❑ Most particulate fillers are inorganic and polar in nature.

❑ As a result, their surfaces have poor compatibility with

hydrocarbon polymers (Non-polar).

❑ Among other effects, this can result in processing

problems such as long wetting times and high viscosities,
and poor dispersion and poor mechanical properties.
16
 Filler Surface modification

In the bulk form of a material, atoms are generally stable and have a
balanced set of bonds/interactions. In contrast, the surface atoms will
have an incomplete, unbalanced set of interactions, and therefore
have unrealised bonding energy. ‘Surface energy’ is a relative
measurement of the energy at the surface (which is a result of this
incomplete bonding). 17
 Main types of Modifier
i. Properties can be changed by the use of a modifier

ii. The challenge for the formulator is to find a modifier that gives the best
balance of properties for the application.

iii. Filler surface modifier can be categorized into:

a. Non-coupling agent
b. Coupling agent

18