Effects of titanate coupling agent on rheological behaviour, dispersion characteristics and mechanical properties of talc filled polypropylene

A commercially available titanate coupling agent, LICA 12 from Kenrich Petrochemicals was used to study its effect on talc filled polypropylene. It was found that the melt viscosity of the filled PP decreased and dispersion quality was improved in the presence of coupling agent. Further investigation on molecular weight distribution (MWD) shows that polypropylene (PP) molecules have undergone some chain scission and coupling reactions resulting in a broader MWD. Glass transition temperature (Tg) measurement revealed the plasticising effect caused by coupling agent, which has imparted changes in morphological character and mechanical properties. Tensile and flexural properties were observed to decrease whilst impact and elongation properties were improved with the incorporation of coupling agent in the filled system.