Creep resistance of linear low density polyethylene/carbonaceous hybrid nanocomposites: Experiments and modeling

Abstract

AbstractIn the present work, the creep response of nanocomposites based on metallocene linear low density polyethylene (mLLDPE), reinforced with three types of carbonaceous nanofillers, namely carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene oxide (GO) platelets, and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was experimentally studied. The effect of the nanofiller loading and the hybrid character of nanocomposites on the creep resistance of the nanocompsites was analyzed. In all cases, the creep resistance of the nanocomposites examined has been postulated. To support these results, creep has been modeled by a power creep law, while the creep‐ recovery modeling was achieved by a viscoelastic model. The implementation of the viscoelastic model has been made by assuming that the nanocomposite's structure can be represented by a physical network, with the dispersed nanofillers participating in the molecular rearrangements, which take place upon the imposition of stress. The time dependent constitutive equation involves a relaxation function, based on a Gaussian type distribution function, associated with the energy barriers that molecular segments need to overcome, for transitions to occur. It was found that creep‐recovery strain could be accurately captured with the same set of parameters, whereas the number of required model parameters was quite lower than that in the widely known viscoelastic models.