Fabrication and thermomechanical property investigations of polypropylene/silica and polypropylene/modified silica composite films

In this study, we fabricated polypropylene/silica (PP/S) and polypropylene/modified silica (PP/MS) composite films using the extrusion technique, and characterized, and investigated their thermomechanical behaviors. The characterization of the neat materials and prepared composites was successfully conducted using some advanced spectroscopic techniques. The thermal stability and thermomechanical behaviors of the composites were investigated through thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The tensile tests revealed that the PP/MS composites exhibited the highest strength values, reaching 22.23 MPa with 1.0 % MS. Higher tensile strength was obtained with PP/MS composites compared to PP/S composites, proving the clear effect of the hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) binder in the composition of the composites. The highest strength values obtained with the PP/S composites were 20.10 MPa at a ratio of 2.5 %. • Polypropylene/modified silica composites have shown superior strength. • The use of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as a binder improved the composite tensile properties. • Characterization techniques confirm thermal stability and mechanical behavior.