Development of Inorganic Particle-Filled Polypropylene/High Density Polyethylene Membranes via Multilayer Co-Extrusion and Stretching

This work is made to ascertain the effects of mineral fillers, namely calcium carbonate and talc, on the morphology and properties of multilayer polypropylene (PP)/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) porous membranes. Multilayer membranes were prepared using the three-stage Melt-Extrusion, Annealing and Uniaxial Stretching (MEAUS) process. The orientation of PP's crystalline phase was affected by both the flow-induced crystallization and the heterogeneous nucleation promoted by the fillers. A synergistic effect was observed in the filled samples due to the generation of pores after the stretching-induced lamellae separation and the debonding of mineral fillers from the polymeric matrix. The fillers increased the porous surface, leading to an increase of permeance to air, being this effect more marked at higher filler contents. Talc showed a higher efficiency to create porous surfaces when compared to calcium carbonate. The thermal stability of the membranes increased with filler addition, as well as their stiffness and strength.