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Influence of mold cavity thickness on electrical, morphological and thermal properties of polypropylene/carbon micromoldings

  • Shengtai Zhou , Renze Jiang , Xue Lei , Huawei Zou and Andrew N. Hrymak EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: January 30, 2023
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 38 Issue 2

Abstract

In this work, a comparative study on the electrical conductivity (σ) and thermal properties of polypropylene (PP)/carbon microparts with different part thickness (namely, 0.85 and 0.50 mm) is reported. Two different types of carbon filler (i.e., CNT and CB) were adopted to study the efficacy of different carbon fillers in improving the σ of PP/carbon microparts. In general, the σ of 0.85 mm thickness microparts were higher than the 0.50 mm thickness microparts, regardless of the carbon filler type and testing directions. This suggested that higher shearing conditions that prevailed in the microinjection molding (μIM) process were unfavorable for the formation of intact conductive pathways in corresponding moldings, albeit the distribution of carbon fillers turned better with increasing shear rates, as confirmed by morphology observations. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that prior thermomechanical histories (including melt blending and μIM) experienced by the polymer melts had an influence on the thermal behavior of subsequent moldings. Also, there existed a strong shear flow-induced crystallization of polymer chains during μIM because the crystallinity of microparts was higher than that of feed materials.

Keywords: comparison between PP/CNT and PP/CB microparts; electrical conductivity; microinjection molding; mold cavity thickness; thermal properties
Corresponding author: Andrew N. Hrymak, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, E-mail:

Funding source: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants

Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Award Identifier / Grant number: 52103040

Funding source: China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2020M673217

Funding source: Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Funding source: Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: The authors acknowledge the support of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants program (ANH). SZ is thankful for the support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (52103040) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M673217). RJ acknowledges support from Ontario Graduate Scholarship and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2022-09-23
Accepted: 2023-01-12
Published Online: 2023-01-30
Published in Print: 2023-05-25

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Influence of process parameters of a continuous final mixer on the properties of carbon black/rubber composites
  4. Time series data for process monitoring in injection molding: a quantitative study of the benefits of a high sampling rate
  5. Vibration damping properties of graphene nanoplatelets filled glass/carbon fiber hybrid composites
  6. Optical and temperature dependent electrical properties of poly (vinyl chloride)/copper alumina nanocomposites for optoelectronic devices
  7. Numerical visualization of extensional flows in injection molding of polymer melts
  8. Thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties of glass fiber reinforced epoxy-lanthanum manganite nanocomposites
  9. Statistical research on the mixing properties of wave based screws by numerical simulations
  10. Influence of mold cavity thickness on electrical, morphological and thermal properties of polypropylene/carbon micromoldings
  11. Development of a prototype for the rubber latex industry to detect dry rubber content of fresh natural rubber latex using a novel measurement system with proton-electron transfer
  12. Effect of molding history on molecular orientation relaxation during physical aging of polystyrene injection moldings
  13. A comparative analysis of the effect of post production treatments and layer thickness on tensile and impact properties of additively manufactured polymers
  14. Fabrication of flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant rigid polyurethane foam modified by hydrolyzed keratin
  15. Study on flame retardancy and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane foams modified by amino trimethylphosphonate cobalt and expandable graphite
  16. Three-dimensional simulation of capillary rheometry for an estimation of extensional viscosity
https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2022-4288
Keywords for this article
comparison between PP/CNT and PP/CB microparts; electrical conductivity; microinjection molding; mold cavity thickness; thermal properties

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Influence of process parameters of a continuous final mixer on the properties of carbon black/rubber composites
  4. Time series data for process monitoring in injection molding: a quantitative study of the benefits of a high sampling rate
  5. Vibration damping properties of graphene nanoplatelets filled glass/carbon fiber hybrid composites
  6. Optical and temperature dependent electrical properties of poly (vinyl chloride)/copper alumina nanocomposites for optoelectronic devices
  7. Numerical visualization of extensional flows in injection molding of polymer melts
  8. Thermal, mechanical and dielectric properties of glass fiber reinforced epoxy-lanthanum manganite nanocomposites
  9. Statistical research on the mixing properties of wave based screws by numerical simulations
  10. Influence of mold cavity thickness on electrical, morphological and thermal properties of polypropylene/carbon micromoldings
  11. Development of a prototype for the rubber latex industry to detect dry rubber content of fresh natural rubber latex using a novel measurement system with proton-electron transfer
  12. Effect of molding history on molecular orientation relaxation during physical aging of polystyrene injection moldings
  13. A comparative analysis of the effect of post production treatments and layer thickness on tensile and impact properties of additively manufactured polymers
  14. Fabrication of flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant rigid polyurethane foam modified by hydrolyzed keratin
  15. Study on flame retardancy and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane foams modified by amino trimethylphosphonate cobalt and expandable graphite
  16. Three-dimensional simulation of capillary rheometry for an estimation of extensional viscosity
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