Clays of different composition have been used in the development of polymer nanocomposites. The utilization of bentonite clays of the State of Paraíba, Brazil, has been emphasized mainly due to their availability. However, these bentonite deposits are becoming exhausted after several years of exploitation. Thus, the aim of this work was to characterize bentonite clays recently discovered in the municipality of Cubati, Paraíba. The samples underwent a particle size classification step and were characterized by granulometric analysis by laser diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and cation exchange capacity. The results of particle size distribution showed that the clay samples have similar physical characteristics to bentonite clays of Boa Vista, Paraíba. Results of X-ray diffraction indicated that the mineralogical composition of the samples consisted of montmorillonite, kaolinite and quartz. The characterization of the samples by FTIR confirmed these results. Results of chemical analysis showed that the samples are polycationic bentonite clays and have predominantly different exchangeable cations similar to those seen in South American bentonites.

O conteúdo dos artigos e seus dados em sua forma, correção e confiabilidade são de responsabilidade exclusiva dos autores. 2018 Permitido o download da obra e o compartilhamento desde que sejam atribuídos créditos aos autores, mas sem a possibilidade de alterá-la de nenhuma forma ou utilizá-la para fins comerciais.

No abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of some experimental variables such as the content of styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene (SEBS) and talc, processing conditions and mixing protocol on the properties of polypropylene (PP). To achieve this objective, PP/SEBS blends and PP/SEBS/talc composites were processed in a corotating twin-screw extruder. A masterbatch of PP/talc was prepared before the extrusion of PP/SEBS/talc composites. The morphology of blends and composites was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed the dispersion of small rubber droplets in the PP matrix. Moreover, the micrographs also showed that SEBS and talc particles were uniformly dispersed and distributed in the polymer matrix. Results of thermal properties showed that talc had a nucleating effect, which promoted the increase of both PP crystallization temperature and crystallinity degree. The incorporation of talc in PP/SEBS blends led to an expressive increase in the impact resistance by 70% as compared with the reference blend: PP/SEBS 80/20% (w/w). This result reveals that although the PP/SEBS/talc composites showed a separated morphology, the good dispersion and distribution of this mineral filler in the polymers contributed to avoid crack propagation and increase the impact properties. The tensile properties in the elastic region were not significantly affected.

No abstract