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Lee PC, Kang D, Oh JT, Seo JY, Shin D, Jung JU, Ko YK, Ha JU, Kim MG. Reducing Moisture Absorption in Polypropylene Nanocomposites for Automotive Headlamps Using Hydrophobicity-Modified Graphene/Montmorillonite. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:nano13091439. [PMID: 37176984 PMCID: PMC10180499 DOI: 10.3390/nano13091439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Polypropylene (PP) is used as a housing material in automotive headlamps but can cause fogging as a result of absorbed moisture and temperature differences between the exterior and interior of the housing. In this study, PP was combined with a graphene/montmorillonite hybrid (MMT-G) to yield a nanocomposite with reduced moisture absorption. Crucially, the modified nanofiller had low hydrophilicity and good compatibility with the PP matrix. Notably, the water contact angle of the MMT-G improved by 676%. Furthermore, the maximum moisture absorption of the PP/MMT-G nanocomposites was reduced by up to 11.22% compared to that of commercial PP composites, and the weight of the headlamp housing was decreased by 3.6%. Therefore, the designed nanocomposites are expected to help mitigate headlamp fogging while slightly reducing the housing weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pyoung-Chan Lee
- Chassis & Materials Research Laboratory, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Cheonan-si 31214, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongwoo Kang
- Chassis & Materials Research Laboratory, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Cheonan-si 31214, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Taek Oh
- R&D Center, BESTGRAPHENE Co., Ltd., Yeoju-si 12616, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Young Seo
- R&D Center, BESTGRAPHENE Co., Ltd., Yeoju-si 12616, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghyeok Shin
- R&D Center, Woosung Chemical Co., Ltd., Cheonan-si 31214, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Uk Jung
- R&D Planning Department, Nifco Korea Co., Ltd., Asan-si 31409, Republic of Korea
| | - Youn Ki Ko
- Chassis & Materials Research Laboratory, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Cheonan-si 31214, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Uk Ha
- Chassis & Materials Research Laboratory, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Cheonan-si 31214, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeong-Gi Kim
- R&D Center, BESTGRAPHENE Co., Ltd., Yeoju-si 12616, Republic of Korea
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