FEG–ESEM investigation of micromechanical deformation processes in ultrafine monospherical SiO2 particle‐filled polymer composites

Abstract

AbstractMicromechanical deformation processes responsible for toughening mechanisms in ultrafine monospherical inorganic particle‐filled polyethylene were investigated in situ by a field‐emission gun‐environmental scanning electron microscope (FEG–ESEM) with low‐voltage techniques. In general, the ultimate properties of polymer composites are largely dependent on the degree of dispersion of filler particles into the matrix. Very often, the agglomeration is one of inevitable occurrences in polymer composites, mixed with ultrafine filler particles. In the present work, the effects of agglomerates, consisting of ultrafine monospherical filler particles, were reexamined in polymer composites on the toughening mechanism. The results show that the dominant micromechanical deformation processes are the multiple debonding processes inside agglomerates, in which the ratio of the matrix strand and the size of agglomerate plays a great role of matrix yielding. In the specimen, where the agglomerates are isolated in the matrix, deformation begins at the equatorial region of agglomerates and propagates through them. However, in the case of closely placed agglomerates, deformation occurs homogeneously within the whole area inside the agglomerates. In both cases, in conjunction with the multiple debonding processes, the major part of energy during the deformation dissipates through the shear‐flow processes of the matrix material. In particular, the micromechanical deformation processes observed in this work confirm that the agglomerates do not always have negative effects on the mechanical properties—at least, in the shear deformable semicrystalline polymer matrices. The agglomerates may be effectively used for the improvement of toughness. Furthermore, the FEG–ESEM with low‐voltage techniques offers an extremely promising and efficient alternative method to study the morphology as well as in situ micromechanical deformation processes in nonconducting polymer systems. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 785–789, 2001