Polypropylene/halloysite nanotubes(PP/HNTs)nanocomposites with 33 phr HNTs were prepared by melt mixing using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder.PP/HNTs nanocomposite samples were taken from three positions along the extruder and from the die exit.Microstructure

rheological properties

and thermal stability of the nanocomposite samples were analyzed.The results showed that the sizes of aggregates of the HNTs rapidly decreased and the HNTs were dispersed more and more uniformly in the PP matrix due to the dispersive and distributive mixing provided by the screw configuration arranged in this work.As a result

the storage modulus and relaxation time at low frequency for the nanocomposite samples taken from three positions along the extruder increased gradually

whereas their terminal slopes decreased gradually.The thermal stability of the PP/HNTs nanocomposite sample taken from die inlet was better than that taken from die exit due to higher effectiveness of the entrapment of decomposition products into the nanotube lumens of more unoriented HNTs in the former sample.