Melt-blown fiber mat interleaving enhances the performance of single-polypropylene composites

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrate that integrating melt-blown fiber mat interleaves into single-polypropylene composites enhances several mechanical properties and influences the morphology positively. Polypropylene veils were generated by melt blowing. We then created single-polypropylene composites by film-stacking in which we applied a film as a matrix, a woven fabric as primary reinforcement, and the melt-blown fiber mats as interleaves. The tensile modulus was improved in the range of 20%–46%, and the interlaminar shear strength and the perforation energy at impact were increased by 17% and 14%, respectively, due to interleaving. Master curves were constructed from dynamic mechanical analysis frequency sweep tests based on the time–temperature superposition principle. The storage modulus significantly increased while the tanδ decreased. The interleaving considerably reduced the delamination by creating a net-like structure leading to superior interfacial adhesion. The interleaving demonstrated in this study can promote single-polymer composites’ utilization in various engineering applications where high toughness and impact resistance are required.