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Influence of untreated and novel electron beam modified surface coated silica filler on dynamic mechanical thermal properties of ethylene‐octene copolymer
Author(s) -
Ray Sudip,
Bhowmick Anil K.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.20015
Subject(s) - materials science , filler (materials) , dynamic mechanical analysis , composite material , silanization , fumed silica , tmpta , dynamic modulus , polymer , copolymer , glass transition , acrylate
Abstract An extensive study on dynamic mechanical thermal analysis has been carried out to investigate the effect of filler‐filler and polymer‐filler interaction in cured ethylene‐octene copolymer reinforced by unmodified and modified silica. The silica was treated with trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) or triethoxyvinyl silane (TEVS), followed by electron beam irradiation at room temperature. Modification of the silica filler, especially via silanization, significantly reduces filler‐filler networking, as evidenced from the strain sweep tests, and thus helps reduce the Payne effect, particularly at high filler loadings. The effect of modification is quantified with the help of a new mathematical model correlating the storage modulus and the volume fraction of the filler. The enhancement in the storage modulus at high temperatures and changes in the loss tangent at the glass transition temperature suggest definite improvement in the polymer‐filler interaction in the case of these modified fillers. The results obtained from the master curves constructed based on the time‐temperature‐superposition principle further support the findings.