Polypropylene Copolymer/Calcium Silicate Composites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Scratch Resistance

Abstract

In this study, calcium silicate was added as an inorganic filler to promote mechanical strength and scratch resistance in polypropylene (PP). Scratch measurements in the form of scratch depth, scratch width and scratch hardness indicated that adding 10 wt% calcium silicate showed the best performance of scratch resistance together with the maximum hardness and degree of crystallinity. Beyond this concentration, the composites exhibited scratches with greater depth, while the width of all scratches in composites remained close to that observed in neat PP. In summary, calcium silicate was found to be effective in resisting the scratches at only low applied load. © 2019, Shiraz University.