Use of conventional compatibilizers such as PP-g-MA on PP/SCG composites do not lead to a significant increase in mechanical and thermal performance and the water uptake remains one of the main drawbacks of these composites.
Treatment of SCG with silanes provides some additional hydrophobicity but the water uptake behaviour is similar to composites with untreated SCG.
Surface treatment with palmitoyl chloride has evidenced an effective alternative to provide balanced mechanical and thermal properties together with highly improved water uptake behaviour thus evidencing the high hydrophobicity provided by this treatment that also brings hydrophobicity closer to that of the polymer matrix which, in turn, provides good particle dispersion and matrixparticle interactions.