TY - JOUR
T1 - MWCNT-driven modulation of thermal and flow properties in PTT/PP polymer systems
AU - Ramachandran, Ajitha A.
AU - Reghunadhan, Arunima
AU - Sari, P. S.
AU - Huskić, Miroslav
AU - Thomas, Sabu
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - The thermal and viscoelastic performance of polymer blends is decisive for their deployment in advanced engineering and electronic applications. Here, we report a systematic investigation of immiscible poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/polypropylene (PP) blends reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). While the incorporation of MWCNTs did not markedly alter the thermal degradation profiles, it significantly modified the viscoelastic behavior by inducing a constrained polymer region within the PTT phase. Quantitative analysis of filler dispersion effectiveness, entanglement density, reinforcing efficiency, and constrained volume provides new insights into nanotube–matrix interactions. Rheological results revealed a terminal-to-nonterminal transition with increasing nanotube content, confirming percolated network formation at low filler loadings. These findings establish clear structure–property correlations that extend beyond qualitative descriptions, offering a predictive framework for tailoring immiscible blends through nanofiller engineering. Such insights highlight the potential of PTT/PP/MWCNT systems in functional applications, including lightweight structural components and conductive composites for electronics.
AB - The thermal and viscoelastic performance of polymer blends is decisive for their deployment in advanced engineering and electronic applications. Here, we report a systematic investigation of immiscible poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/polypropylene (PP) blends reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). While the incorporation of MWCNTs did not markedly alter the thermal degradation profiles, it significantly modified the viscoelastic behavior by inducing a constrained polymer region within the PTT phase. Quantitative analysis of filler dispersion effectiveness, entanglement density, reinforcing efficiency, and constrained volume provides new insights into nanotube–matrix interactions. Rheological results revealed a terminal-to-nonterminal transition with increasing nanotube content, confirming percolated network formation at low filler loadings. These findings establish clear structure–property correlations that extend beyond qualitative descriptions, offering a predictive framework for tailoring immiscible blends through nanofiller engineering. Such insights highlight the potential of PTT/PP/MWCNT systems in functional applications, including lightweight structural components and conductive composites for electronics.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024896801
U2 - 10.1039/d5lp00324e
DO - 10.1039/d5lp00324e
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105024896801
SN - 2755-371X
JO - RSC Applied Polymers
JF - RSC Applied Polymers
ER -