THE NOVEL HIGH-ANTIMICROBIAL NANO-TiO₂/PP COMPOSITES AND ITS STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES

Based on a novel nano-TiO₂ powder, Polypropylene/TiO₂ composites was made by direct melt blending. The morphology, crystallization, mechanical properties, antimicrobial properties, rheological properties of the new composites were investigated. The results showed that the novel TiO₂ nano-powder dispersed well in PP matrix; the sizes of most agglomerates nearly reached 100 nm; TiO₂ nano-powder could induce crystallization of PP, however, the crystallinity of PP decreased some; tensile strength and elongation of composites declined while modulus and impact strength of composites rose with the loading of nano-powder; nano-TiO₂/PP composites with 2% loading of powder demonstrated an overall excellent mechanical properties. The novel composites have high antimicrobial properties, better flow ability than PP due to degradation of PP caused by the oxidation effect of nano-TiO₂.