Abstract:
Ethanol and ethylenediamine were utilized for the esterification and amidation of maleic anhdride-grafted polypropylene (PP-
g-MAH). The esterified maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP-
g-MAHOR) and amidated maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP-
g-MAHNH
2) were used as compatibilizers. These functional compounds in the melt blending of polypropylene (PP) and hydroxyl-modified polypropylene (PPOH) improved the compatibility of PP and PPOH. The polymer blend was processed by using twin-screw extruder and extruded through a die to fabricate a blend membrane. The cooling method was air cooling. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was employed for structural characterization of the modified PP-
g-MAH. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, thermal stability, and rheological behavior of the blend membrane were also measured. Results reveal that the PP/PPOH/PP-
g-MAHNH
2 membrane has the best performance. The PP/PPOH/PP-
g-MAHNH
2 membrane has the smallest PPOH agglomerated particles and the best hydrophilicity. The fracture elongation of PP/PPOH/PP-
g-MAHNH
2 membrane also increases. PP-
g-MAHNH
2 typically disperses into the interfacial region between PP and PPOH, and the presence of terminal-NH
2 groups on PP-
g-MAHNH
2 further enhances the intermolecular interactions at the interface. Thus, the PP/PPOH/PP-
g-MAHNH
2 membrane has the best compatibility. The incorporation of PPOH and PP-
g-MAHNH
2 leads to a 4.4% reduction in the crystallinity of the blend membrane compared with pure PP membrane. The initial degradation temperature of PP/PPOH/PP-
g-MAHNH
2 membrane is 0.3 ℃ lower than PP membrane. The incorporation of PPOH and PP-
g-MAHNH
2 has no apparently impact on the rheological properties of the blend. When the mass ratio of PP, PPOH, and PP-
g-MAHNH
2 is 90∶10∶5, the fracture elongation of the membrane is 370%, the fracture strength of the membrane is 38.4 MPa, and the water contact angle of the membrane is 87.4°.