Towards Extended Morphological, Thermal and Mechanical Analysis of Multicomponent Polymer Nanocomposites Based on PP/EPDM/EPDM-g-MA/PA6

This article critically reviews the influence of nanoclay, grafted copolymer compatibilizer and mixing sequence on the microstructure–property relationships in nanocomposites based on ternary polymer blends. In the presence of clay, polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM)/polyamide6 (PA6) blend morphology was altered from core–shell to separated disperse in which the particle size as well as the clay localization was affected by the mixing regime. Mixing performance improved in the two-step mixing regime providing finer EPDM and PA6 inclusions besides more efficient intercalation attributed to the viscosity ratio balance while mixing. Moreover, localization of clay in the PP matrix was evidenced by mechanical and thermal transition results. Wetting parameter values also confirmed the effect of mixing sequence on the blend morphology. Spreading coefficient (SC) and relative interfacial free energy (RIE) morphology predictive models showed acceptable prediction accuracies, provided that the effect of nanoparticles on the surface tension of blend constituents is considered.