Physical Spacer Effect of Attapulgite on the Dispersion of Sodium 4‐[(4‐Chlorobenzoyl) Amino] Benzoate in Polypropylene: Crystallization Regulation and Mechanical Reinforcement

ABSTRACT

A composite nucleating agent SCAB‐ATP was prepared by physically blending sodium 4‐[(4‐chlorobenzoyl) amino] benzoate (SCAB) with attapulgite (ATP) at a 1:1 mass ratio, and PP/SCAB‐ATP composites were fabricated via melt blending. FT‐IR confirmed that ATP did not alter the chemical structure of SCAB. SEM observations showed that the incorporation of ATP markedly reduced the agglomeration of SCAB and improved its dispersion within the PP matrix. DSC analysis indicated that, compared with neat PP, the crystallization temperatures of PP/SCAB and PP/SCAB‐ATP were increased by 6.46°C and 9.06°C, respectively, with the highest crystallinity and crystallization rate observed for PP/SCAB‐ATP. In addition, the PP/SCAB‐ATP composite exhibited superior impact, tensile, and flexural strengths relative to the other samples. These improvements are attributed to ATP acting as a physical barrier that mitigates SCAB agglomeration, thereby promoting more efficient heterogeneous nucleation. Moreover, the low cost of ATP offers a cost‐effective route to high‐performance PP modification.