Effect of surface coverage of silane treated CaCO3 on the tensile properties of polypropylene composites

Polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared with a constant volume fraction of a CaCO3 filler, which was treated with eight trialkoxy functional silane coupling agents and the routinely used stearic acid, as comparison. The tensile properties of the composites were determined as a function of surface coverage and the chemical composition of the coupling agent. Significant differences were detected in the effect of the silane coupling agents on the tensile properties of the composites studied. They could be classified into groups of reactive, nonreactive and inactive compounds, in accordance with an earlier study. Moreover, tensile properties proved to be very sensitive to surface treatment. Reactive coupling leads to a maximum in tensile strength, while the use of nonreactive agents decreases strength rapidly with increasing surface coverage. The rate of strength decrease slows down above the concentration necessary for the formation of a monolayer coverage. Treatment influences deformability accordingly, it decreases on reactive coupling, while agents with a surfactant effect increase elongation. Amino functional silanes show a strong reactive coupling effect. A trialkoxy derivative of stearic acid, (3-stearyloxy-propyl-triethoxy-silane), synthesized the first time in our laboratory, has an outstanding surfactant effect; its use increases both the elongation and the tensile strength of the composites. Both characteristics exceed the corresponding properties of the reference composite containing the filler treated with stearic acid.