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.
Highlights
The role of nanofillers in modulating the physical properties of polymer nanocomposites has attracted tremendous interest from both industry and academia [1]
We recently reported the effect of various crystallization parameters such as temperature, time, and polymer concentration on nanohybrid shish-kebab formation on Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [15]
The morphology of the low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-nanofiller composites was observed using a combination of Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and TEM, and the results are presented Figures 1 and 2, Figure S1
Summary
The role of nanofillers in modulating the physical properties of polymer nanocomposites has attracted tremendous interest from both industry and academia [1]. Considerable effort has been dedicated to controlling the crystallization via interfacial interactions between the polymer matrix and nanoparticles as their interactions are critical to improving the resultant mechanical properties of the nanocomposites [2]. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) have been considered to be effective reinforcement materials due to their exceptionally high specific surface area and desirable mechanical and electrical properties [3,4]. Controlling the microstructure, carbon, and clay-based nanofillers have been found to improve the physical properties of polymers. The effect of self-assembled MWCNTs was found to accelerate the electrical properties of shape-memory polymers [10]
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