Polypropylene reinforced with silicon carbide whiskers

Thermal, crystallization and mechanical behaviour of isotactic polypropylene (IPP) reinforced with advanced silicon carbide whiskers (SiCw) has been investigated. It is well established that the existence of chemical and physical interactions between the matrix and the reinforcement enhances the cohesive strength at the interphase thus improving the mechanical performance of the composite. In order to improve chemico-physical interactions between the components of the inorganic-organic composite system, their affinity has been enhanced in two ways: by coating the whiskers with a thin layer of acrylate-grafted polydivinylbenzene and by using as matrix a chemically modified polypropylene. The mechanical properties of the resulting composite materials have been compared and related to the dispersion grade of the whiskers within the matrices and the morphology of the samples.