Abstract
In immiscible polymer blend nanocomposites, nanoparticles can be localised either in
polymer matrices or at the interface, invoking the simple question of how the spatial distribution of
the nanoparticles and the resulting morphological changes affect the non-isothermal crystallisation
and degradation kinetics. In this study, the non-isothermal crystallisation of polypropylene
in polypropylene (PP)-rich compatibilised and non-compatibilised PP/low-density polyethylene
(LDPE)/clay composites and their degradation are investigated. The non-isothermal crystallisation
analyses show that the localisation of the clay particles in the blend composites has two opposing
effects. First, the poorly dispersed clay particles at the PP/LDPE interface in the non-compatibilised
blend composite has no significant effect on the crystallisation temperature of PP but allows the free
movement of PP chains, resulting in a higher crystallinity of PP than that of PP in the neat blend.
Second, the well-dispersed clay particles in the compatibilised blend composites disrupt the free
movement of PP chains, resulting in a lower crystallisation temperature and crystallinity than that
of PP in the neat blend. The influences of different selective localisations of clay particles on the
activation energies of degradation are studied. The presence of maleated compatibilisers, clay, and
the distribution of clay in the blend composite play important roles in determining the activation
energies of degradation.