Use of supercritical CO2 as a dispersing agent in the preparation of a polymer‐layered silicate nanocomposite

The usefulness of supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) in the processing of thermoplastic olefin (TPO) nanocomposites was investigated using a simple extensional flow mixing device. An organoclay (Cloisite ® 20A), a maleated polypropylene (Polybond ® 3200), and a TPO polymer were selected for this study. The three components were combined in different manners to evaluate how scCO 2 influenced the microstructure of a final nanocomposite prepared by …