Synergetic effect of epoxy resin and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene on improving mechanical properties of polypropylene/short carbon fiber composites

The influence of epoxy resin (EP) and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PPMA) on mechanical properties of polypropylene/short carbon fiber (PP/SCF) composites was studied. The combination between EP and PPMA showed a synergistic effect on improving the mechanical properties of PP/SCF composites, including tension, flexural and notched impact properties. The synergistic mechanism was studied by means of SEM observation, FTIR analysis, extraction test and rheological measurement. The results showed that the synergistic mechanism was attributed to the improved network structure of SCF in PP matrix assisted by EP and PPMA. EP adsorbed onto the surface of SCF reacted with PPMA to form an enhanced interfacial interaction between PP and SCF, meanwhile the crossover sites of adjacent SCFs were locked by the cured EP component to form a strong network.