Optical Monitoring of the Injection Molding of Intercalated Polypropylene Nanocomposites

Intercalated polypropylene (PP)/clay nanocomposites were produced by twin screw extrusion; afterwards, the optical monitoring of their injection molding was done using a laser sensor. The transmitted light intensity as a function of molding time was measured. The mold and melt temperatures, packing pressure and flow rate were changed. The nanocomposite had higher induction times than the PP, that is, scattering structures were detected later in the nanocomposite than in the PP, which was attributed to a retardation effect promoted by the clay on the PP crystallization growth rate. The morphologies of the injection molded samples were analyzed by polarized light optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy. The nanocomposite samples showed a second core, a thicker skin layer, highly oriented nanoclay's tactoids in the skin region and average spherulites' sizes smaller than the PP. The final light intensity I f was correlated with the spherulites' sizes: high values of I f represented samples with large spherulites. The PP sample had average spherulites' sizes larger than the Nano samples. However, the surging of a second core with large spherulites in the Nano samples changed the expected pattern: the PP samples showed I f lower than the Nano samples. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 50:1326-1339, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers.