Abstract
Improving the mechanical properties of a pristine system is the main target of developing nanocomposites. The nanocomposites systems were first prepared via intercalation technique with different organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) loading. Two types of cross-linking techniques were applied, namely, as maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) and electron beam (EB) irradiated system. The effectiveness of these systems was then compared with the control one and analyzed based on the mechanical tests and morphological examination. The mechanical tests revealed that control, MAPE, and EB irradiated systems had attained the optimum mechanical properties at 4 vol% OMMT content. EB irradiated unit of a dose of 100 kGy showed excellent mechanical properties with higher crosslinking degree which were proved by gel content analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the existence of delamination structure with MAPE and EB irradiation techniques based on the disappearance of characteristic peak. The degree of delamination was further investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM).
Highlights
Compatibilizer or cross-linking agent is commonly introduced in a nanocomposite purposely to reduce the surface tension between immiscible polymers and filler as well as to improve the surface adhesion of filler
The current study aims to vary and highlight the interest of electron beam (EB) irradiation technique for high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), where pristine composites and nanocomposites were prepared with different irradiation doses rate and different organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) loadings
The effect of different clay loading on control, maleated polyethylene (MAPE), and EB irradiated systems is demonstrated in Figures 1 and 2
Summary
Compatibilizer or cross-linking agent is commonly introduced in a nanocomposite purposely to reduce the surface tension between immiscible polymers and filler as well as to improve the surface adhesion of filler. This is done to obtain the optimum filler dispersion which will improve properties of nanocomposite. A few studies claimed that the miscibility of polymer matrix with clay can be enhanced by introducing compatibilizers containing polar groups, such as maleated polyethylene (MAPE), carboxylated PE, and so on [3, 4]. Scission reduces cross-linking efficiency and degrades the properties of polymers (chemical resistance, mechanical, and thermal properties). The results obtained for the EB irradiated system were compared with control and MAPE systems for the determination of the optimum system
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