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Influence of applying microwave radiation on the LDPE/MWCNTs nanocomposite
Author(s) -
AlHarthi Mamdouh A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.22864
Subject(s) - materials science , low density polyethylene , crystallinity , composite material , nanocomposite , compression molding , carbon nanotube , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , scanning electron microscope , polyethylene , dynamic mechanical analysis , irradiation , polymer , chemical engineering , mold , physics , nuclear physics , engineering
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites of varying MWCNT contents were prepared by melt blending and compression molding. The sample sheets were exposed to microwave irradiation and the effect on chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties as well as the sheets' morphology were determined and compared with that of nonirradiated samples with similar compositions. The percentage crystallinity of the LDPE/MWCNT nanocomposites declined after irradiation due to the degradation of polymeric chains. However, the melting temperature was hardly changed. The chemical degradation due to irradiation was also verified from the increase in the carbonyl index as determined from the Fourier transformed‐infrared spectroscopy study and the decline in the storage modulus of the dynamic mechanical analysis study. The microcalorimetry study revealed that the MWCNT nanofillers were effectively acting as a heat absorption shield by reducing the heat release rate of polymer during combustion. The Raman spectra and scanning electron microscopy photographs demonstrated improved interaction of MWCNT with the LDPE matrix after microwave irradiation. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2036–2042, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers