Nonlinear response of polypropylene (PP)/Clay nanocomposites under dynamic oscillatory shear flow

Dynamic oscillatory shear flow tests, i.e. small, medium, and large amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS, MAOS, and LAOS), are useful to study polymer composite systems. In this study, MAOS and LAOS tests were used to investigate the dynamic behavior of electrically activated polypropylene (PP)/Clay nanocomposites. The morphology of PP/Clay nanocomposites could be controlled by the applied time, type (AC and DC), and strength of the electric field. Various electrically activated PP/Clay nanocomposites were compared in terms of I3/1, which was determined from FT-Rheology within the MAOS and LAOS region. Nonlinear-Linear viscoelastic Ratio (NLR), which developed by Lim et al. (2011), was calculated to measure the dispersion quality of the PP/Clay nanocomposites.