Preparation and characterization of low density polyethylene‐agar biocomposites: Torque‐rheological, mechanical, thermal and morphological properties

Abstract

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and agar were blended by using the former as an internal mixer and varying the amount of agar. Resulting blends were hot pressed and characterized with regard to their torque‐rheological, mechanical, dynamic‐mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties. The torque rheological properties were determined using classical power law model. Tensile properties of LDPE‐agar biocomposites showed that agar improves the tensile modulus (stiffness), but compromise the tensile strength and elongation at break. Viscoelastic behavior of the matrix is clearly influenced by the presence of agar biofiller as shown by the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Thermal behavior of the biocomposites was also investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Morphological observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show the ductile to brittle fracture of LDPE‐agar biocomposites subjected to tensile test. This work is an initial reference to identify potential applications of biocomposites based‐on agar as a biofiller. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers

Synthesis and Preliminary Evaluation of a Polyolefin-based Core for Carrier-based Root Canal Obturation

“…The melting point of the composites was around 111 C as determined by DSC, which is in agreement with the observations of a previous study (14). Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of HA and PE the composites with no degradation occurring during the processing.…”

“…HA/PE composites can be rendered flexible, can be tailored to exhibit desirable flow properties (14)(15)(16), and are biocompatible (17)(18)(19)(20); thus, they can be excellent candidates for designing carriers for carrier-based obturation systems. HA is used in conjunction with strontium oxide (SrO) to achieve adequate radiopacity as required for a carrier material, and the quantity of the ceramic filler assists in the ability to tailor the flexibility of the carriers.…”

Preparation and Characterization of Extruded Composites Based on Polypropylene and Chitosan Compatibilized with Polypropylene-Graft-Maleic Anhydride

“…Therefore, the partial biodegradation of these polymeric blends is one alternative that could contribute to minimizing environmental pollution [6,7]. …”

“…The preparation of mixtures of synthetic and natural polymers represent a simple way to combine their best properties, obtaining materials with acceptable morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties, and shorter degradation time compared to synthetic polymers. Therefore, the partial biodegradation of these polymeric blends is one alternative that could contribute to minimizing environmental pollution [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Alternative plasticizers for the production of thermo-compressed agar films

“…Optimal conditions of heat-press for maximum TS Table 1 lists the real and coded values for the 2 3 CCRD and the experimental values of maximum TS extracted from the [15][16][17][18][19][20]. This initial adjustment showed a significant lack-of-fit (p < 0.05), probably due to a quadratic effect and so, remaining runs were carried out (runs 9-14).…”