Hybrid Organic-Inorganic POSS (Polyhedral Oligomeric silsesquioxane)/Polypropylene Nanocomposite Filaments

Octamethyl-POSS and Octaphenyl-POSS reinforced polypropylene nanocomposite monofilaments were prepared by melt blending, route. It was observed that incorporation of Octamethyl-POSS and Octaphenyl-POSS in polypropylene show improvement in mechanical as well as thermal properties. Octaphenyl POSS/PP nanocomposites show significant increase in thermal stability even at very low concentration as compared to neat polymer matrix. An increase of 100 and 140 degrees C was observed in thermal degradation temperature at 5 wt% loss and maximum degradation over neat PP filaments respectively at low OP-POSS loadings (<5 wt%). Both Octamethyl-POSS and Octaphenyl-POSS act as lubricating agents facilitating drawing which results in improvement in orientation as well as mechanical properties.