Simultaneous enhancements of UV resistance and mechanical properties of polypropylene by incorporation of dopamine-modified clay.

Inspired by the radical scavenging function of melanin-like materials and versatile adhesive ability of mussel-adhesion proteins, dopamine-modified clay (D-clay) was successfully incorporated into polypropylene (PP) using an amine-terminated PP oligomer as the compatibilizer. Although the PP/D-clay nanocomposites exhibit intercalated morphology, the incorporation of D-clay greatly improves the thermo-oxidative stability and UV resistance of PP owing to the strong radical scavenging ability of polydopamine (PDA) and large contact area between PP and the PDA coating on clay mineral. Moreover, the reinforcement effect brought by D-clay is fairly significant at very low clay loadings probably owing to the strong interfacial interactions between the layered silicates and the compatibilizer as well as that between the compatibilizer and the PP matrix. The work demonstrates that D-clay is a type of promising nanofiller for thermoplastics used for outdoor applications since it stabilizes and reinforces the polymers simultaneously.