Preparation, structures and properties of shell/polypropylene biocomposites

A novel shell/β-polypropylene (PP) biocomposite was prepared and characterized. Firstly, the waste shell (S) was modified by a stingy amount of pimelic acid (PA) through solution method, and then compounded with PP through melt blending method. The crystalline form, mechanical properties, and morphology of the S/β-PP composites were studied. The results showed that shell modified by PA was a β nucleating agent with high efficiency, resulting in the maximum Kβ value of 0.56 in PP composites. PA modification promoted the dispersion and interfacial bonding of shell powder in PP. The addition of PA-modified shell powder largely increased the impact strength of PP.

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► The β nucleating ability of pimelic acid (PA)-modified shell was mainly determined by the contents of both shell and PA.
► PA modification promoted the dispersion and interfacial bonding of shell powder in PP matrix.
► Stronger PP composites with better performance were obtained by PA modification.