Morphological and Chemical Analysis of Low-Density Polyethylene Crystallized on Carbon and Clay Nanofillers

Abstract

Interest in carbon and clay-based nanofillers has grown in recent years. The crystallization behavior of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was studied using a variety of notable nanofillers used in engineering applications and prepared using a solution crystallization method. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene oxide nano-platelets, clay (montmorillonite), and modified clay (surface-modified with trimethyl stearyl ammonium) were used to induce heterogeneous crystallization of LDPE. The crystallized LDPE samples, imaged using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, revealed different microstructures for each nanohybrid system, indicating these various nanofillers induce LDPE lamellae ordering. The underlying interactions between polymer and nanofiller were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine crystallinity. This work examines how the differences in morphology and chemical structure of the nanofillers induce changes in the nucleation and growth of polymer crystals. These results will provide guidance on functional design of nano-devices with controlled properties.

Radiation-Based Crosslinking Technique for Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Properties of HDPE/EVA/PU Blends

“…The glass transition phenomenon determines the fragility of the polymer according to the thermal deformation temperature. The glass transition temperature (Tg) is lowered due to the cooling rate of HDPE and having more chain branches and is increased by the higher molecular weight and intermolecular crosslinking [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In particular, the thermal conductivity of HDPE is caused by the complex vibration of atoms in the lattice structure.…”

Oil-Based Mud Waste as a Filler Material in LDPE Composites: Evaluation of Mechanical Properties

“…In addition, the tightly stacked MMT and OBM clay platelets restrict the polyethylene motion during crystallisation due to a reduced viscous flow between the lamellar clay tactoids. The constrained molecular motion in a confined lamellar region gives rise to the amorphous structures that were detected in the FTIR spectra at 1467 cm −1 [ 34 ]. It can be inferred, based on the spectra observation in Figure 7 , that there is an absence of or an insignificant degree of chemical bonding between the LDPE polymer and OBM slurry.…”

In‐situ exfoliation and thermal conductivity in phase‐transition‐assisted melt blending fabrication of low‐density polyethylene/expanded graphite nanocomposite

“…Therefore, compared with LE-x samples, it is notable that the crystallinity and crystallization temperature of LPE-x samples were higher (Table 3). [38,39]…”