Preparation of polymer/POSS nanocomposites by radiation processing

Multifunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites were prepared by a simple and economical radiation processing, which has a great potential for the preparation of high-performance materials. The tensile strength of PP/POSS nanocomposites increased with an increasing POSS content up to 5 wt% and with an increasing absorption dose up to 50 kGy. The tensile strength of irradiated PP/POSS nanocomposites decreased at high absorption dose due to the main chain scission of PP by radiation. The PP/POSS nanocomposites showed improved thermal stability due to the formation of crosslinked network between PP and POSS by radiation.