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Polyethylene/sepiolite clay nanocomposites: Effect of clay content, compatibilizer polarity, and molar mass on viscoelastic and dynamic mechanical properties
Author(s) -
Singh Vishwa Pratap,
K.K. Vimal,
Sharma Shashikant,
Kapur Gurpreet Singh,
Choudhary Veena
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.45197
Subject(s) - materials science , dynamic mechanical analysis , high density polyethylene , molar mass , sepiolite , dynamic modulus , nanocomposite , rheometry , composite material , maleic anhydride , polyethylene , differential scanning calorimetry , rheology , polymer , copolymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , raw material , physics , thermodynamics
In this work, high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)‐based nanocomposites having different concentrations of Sepiolite (1–10 wt %) and compatibilizer, that is, PE‐ graft ‐maleic anhydride (PE‐ g ‐MA) of varying molecular weight and maleic anhydride content were prepared by melt compounding. The influence of Sepiolite amount and compatibilizer polarity and molar mass on the crystallization behavior [differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD)], rheological properties (oscillatory rheometer) and dimensional stability [dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and heat deflection temperature (HDT)] of the nanocomposites was investigated. It was found that Sepiolite did not affect the crystallization behavior of HDPE. The rheological results show that the incorporation of Sepiolite into HDPE matrix up to 10 wt % increases the complex viscosity of polymer. Storage modulus and loss modulus both in oscillatory rheometry and in DMA were highest for nanocomposite prepared using 10 wt % Sepiolite owing to the improved mechanical restrain by the dispersed phase. In the presence of compatibilizer, the values of storage modulus and loss modulus were lower as compared to uncompatibilized nanocomposites at same loading of Sepiolite. The reduction in modulus is more pronounced in composites prepared using compatibilizer of lower molar mass as compared to those prepared using higher molar mass compatibilizer. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45197.