Strong decrease in viscosity of nanoparticle-filled polymer melts through selective adsorption

The melt viscosity of poly(propylene) is found to reduce dramatically through the addition of a minute amount of silica nanoparticles. We attribute this unique effect to "selective adsorption of high molar mass polymer chains" on the surface of the nanofillers. This represents a paradigm shift regarding commonly-accepted relations between the molar mass and viscosity of molten polymers. This strong viscosity decrease provides major advantages for polymer processing and materials with improved properties are obtained.