Novel polymer composite and nanocomposite materials for custom flooring products: materials development and processing optimization

Rangoli Surfaces Inc.计划开发和生产豪华乙烯基平板地板。卡尔加里大学有一套适用于这一发展的聚合物加工设备。我们将研究聚合物纳米复合材料和混合填料体系在这方面的应用。我们将利用当地生产的聚丙烯（PP）和当地生产的填料，如碳酸钙（CaCO3）和粉煤灰，生产出多功能、轻质的复合材料，这些材料具有良好的尺寸稳定性、环境抗性和耐久性。我们将利用我们在产品开发、材料表征、聚合物加工和化学功能化方面的深入知识，设计新的多相聚合物纳米材料。兰戈里希望通过使用通常会被送到垃圾填埋场的粉煤灰或石灰等材料，对环境产生重大影响；也就是说，使用这些填料的碳足迹可以比使用传统填料低90%。通过添加二次填料，如定制纳米填料，我们可以改善关键性能，如抗拉强度、韧性和防潮性。PP复合板材的制造将使用位于卡尔加里大学的中试规模挤出机附带的定制平面模具进行。研究重点是开发高性能聚合物纳米复合材料，其中包含用于地板的功能性纳米颗粒。在这个项目中，我们将优化材料的组成和相容性，研究纳米颗粒/聚合物体系的结构-性能关系。目前很少有研究将这些多相聚合物纳米材料应用于地板和建筑材料，或者研究加工如何影响其结构和最终性能。在这个项目中利用拟议的废料将大大有利于加拿大的环境目标，同时，通过在阿尔伯塔省制造最终用途产品，将使经济多样化和增长。

Rangoli Surfaces Inc. plans to develop and produce luxury vinyl plank style flooring. The University of Calgary has a suite of polymer processing equipment that has applicability for this development. We will study polymer nanocomposites and hybrid filler systems for this application. We will take advantage of locally produced polypropylene (PP) with locally produced fillers such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and fly ash to produce versatile, lightweight composite materials that have good dimensional stability, environmental resistance and durability. We will design new mulitphase polymer nano materials using our in-depth knowledge of product development, materials characterization, polymer processing and chemical functionalization. By using materials like fly ash or lime that may normally be sent to a landfill, Rangoli hopes to have a significant impact on the environment; i.e., the carbon footprint using these fillers could be 90% lower than using traditional fillers. By adding in secondary fillers such as custom nanofillers, we can ameliorate key properties such as tensile strength, toughness, and moisture barrier. The fabrication of PP composite planks will be performed using a customized flat die attached to a pilot-scale extruder located at the University of Calgary. The research will focus on development of high-performance polymer nanocomposites containing functional nanoparticles for flooring application. During this project, we will optimize material composition and compatibility, and study the structure-property relationship of the nanoparticle/polymer systems. There is little work on using these multiphase polymer nano materials for applications such as flooring and building materials, or on how processing influences structure and final properties. Utilizing the proposed waste materials in this project will significantly benefit Canada's environmental goals and at the same time, will diversify and grow the economy by having end-use products manufactured in Alberta.