Influence of Nanoparticle CaCO3 Addition to the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-CaCO3 Composite

Abstract

Influence of Nanopaticle CaCO₃ Addition to the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-CaCO₃ Composite. This research was carried out to study the effect of adding CaCO₃ nanoparticle on the physical and mechanical properties of polypropylene-CaCO₃ composites. It was characterized by several parameters such as tensile strength, hardness, and thermal analysis including both melting point and heat of fusion using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Based on XRD results, the particle size of CaCO₃ after 24 hours of milling was 39 nm. There are various compositions of polypropylene-CaCO3 composites (PP MF35: nano-CaCO₃) made in this study, namely 40%:60%, 35%:65%, 30%:70%, and 25%:75%. The results showed that the tensile strength of the PP MF35-CaCO₃ composites decreased with increasing nano-CaCO₃ content. Meanwhile, the hardness of the nanocomposites increased with increasing nano-CaCO₃ content, but decreased the melting point and heat of fusions (ΔH_m) of the nanocomposites. The infrared spectrum showed that the interaction between PP MF35 and nano-CaCO₃ was only physical interaction and there was no chemical reaction.