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Reducing Moisture Absorption in Polypropylene Nanocomposites for Automotive Headlamps Using Hydrophobicity-Modified Graphene/Montmorillonite

Authors :
Pyoung-Chan Lee
Dongwoo Kang
Ji Taek Oh
Jae Young Seo
Donghyeok Shin
Jae-Uk Jung
Youn Ki Ko
Jin Uk Ha
Myeong-Gi Kim
Source :
Nanomaterials, Vol 13, Iss 9, p 1439 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) is used as a housing material in automotive headlamps but can cause fogging as a result of absorbed moisture and temperature differences between the exterior and interior of the housing. In this study, PP was combined with a graphene/montmorillonite hybrid (MMT-G) to yield a nanocomposite with reduced moisture absorption. Crucially, the modified nanofiller had low hydrophilicity and good compatibility with the PP matrix. Notably, the water contact angle of the MMT-G improved by 676%. Furthermore, the maximum moisture absorption of the PP/MMT-G nanocomposites was reduced by up to 11.22% compared to that of commercial PP composites, and the weight of the headlamp housing was decreased by 3.6%. Therefore, the designed nanocomposites are expected to help mitigate headlamp fogging while slightly reducing the housing weight.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20794991
Volume :
13
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Nanomaterials
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9c90655ef0c47a09c791fa4e98a469d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13091439