POSS grafting on PPgMA by one-step reactive blending

This paper reports the preparation of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PPgMA)/Polyhedral Oligomeric SilSesquioxanes (POSS) hybrids by POSS grafting during a one-step reactive blending process.The morphology of the hybrid was studied in details by means of electronic microscopy (SEM, TEM) as well as by X-ray diffraction, showing POSS dispersion at the nanoscale. The grafting yield, assessed through extraction of non-grafted POSS showed a high efficiency of the reactive blending process. Thermal, rheological and mechanical properties were studied for POSS-grafted PPgMA in comparison with a non-reactive PPgMA/POSS nanocomposite as a reference and showed advantages in terms of higher thermal stability and improved mechanical properties in the case of the grafting process with respect to simple melt blending.