PA6 and Kevlar fiber reinforced isotactic polypropylene: Structure, mechanical properties and crystallization and melting behavior

To improve the thermal and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), iPP/Kevlar fiber (KF)/polyamide 6 (PA6) composites were prepared via the melt-extrusion method on twin-screw extruder. Kevlar fiber was modified with caprolactam using toluenediisocyanate (TDI) as bridge. The microstructure of modified KF was successfully characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the results showed that KF was bonded with caprolactam and became coarser. Then the modified KF was introduced into iPP, the composites have better mechanical and thermal properties, implying that modification of KF was helpful to improve the interfacial interaction of iPP/KF/PA6 composites. Besides, the crystallization curves indicated that crystallization behavior of PA6 in the composites was homogeneous and fractional. Furthermore, compatibilizer content played an important role in the mechanical and thermal properties of composites.

► KF was modified with caprolactam using toluenediisocyanate (TDI) as bridge. ► Modified KF improves interfacial interaction of iPP/KF/PA6 composites. ► Fiber and nylon 6 inhibited the crystallization of PP continuous phase.