Effect of fillers on the structure and mechanical properties of LCP/PP/SiO₂ in-situ hybrid nanocomposites

Fibrillation of LCP in a LCP/PP blend was enhanced through the introduction of nanosized silica particles to the PP matrix. LCP/(PP/SiO₂) composites with various silica concentrations were injection moulded into 1 mm plaques and characterized using structural, morphological and mechanical methods. The results revealed the transformation of short LCP fibrils to high aspect ratio fibrous structures upon the addition of the nanofillers. The silica particles have promoted the shear-induced fibrillation of the LCP phase. The wide angle X-ray diffraction results indicated that high orientation was achieved with rising silica content. The injection moulded samples also showed increased mechanical anisotropy with rising filler content. Consequently, both the in-situ fibrillation of LCP and silica reinforcements imparted good tensile strength and modulus to the composites along the flow direction. Such an improvement was achieved from the basis of increasing the matrix viscosity and raising the Capillary number which is a dimensionless factor governing the fibrillation process. This novel approach opens a new insight to the feasibility of producing in-situ hybrid nanocomposites with synergetic reinforcements.