Copolymer glass-fiber-reinforced composites

With respect to the research in this field, all-polypropylene (PP) composites have been extensively studied. Hine et al. investigated the influence of fabrication parameters that control the hot-compaction behavior of woven-oriented PP [23,24], The results indicated that molecular weight, crystallinity, reinforcement shape and the weave style are important for controlling the composites performance. Alcock et al. created unidirectional all-PP composite laminates from co-extruded three layer tape of PP (with a copolymer homopolymer copolymer structure) via filament winding [12]. The specific mechanical properties were comparable to those reported for a commercial unidirectional glass fiber reinforced PP. 

PP homopolymer reinforced PP copolymer composite can be further strengthened by the addition of nano-Si02 particles in the reinforcement component. Only a small amount of the nanoparticles (0.73 wt%) increases the tensile strength of the nanocomposites to about 75 MPa, which is comparable to the value of glass fiber reinforced PP. 

A polymer blend is a physical or mechanical blend (alloy) of two or more homopolymers or copolymers. Although a polymer blend is not a copolymer according to the above definition, it is mentioned here because of its commercial importance and the frequency with which blends are compared with chemically bonded copolymers. Another technologically significant material relative to the copolymer is the composite, a physical or mechanical combination of a polymer with some unlike material, eg, reinforcing materials such as carbon black, graphite fiber, and glass (see Composite materials). 

The modulus and strength of PNCs reinforced with whiskers compares favorably with composites reinforced with glass and aramid fibers, aluminum, and magnesium aUoy [32, 42]. At a cellulose whisker concentration of 6wl%, high increases in modulus and elongation at break have been obtained for polystyrene-butylacrylate copolymer matrix composites [5j. 

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