Preparation and characterization of polyethylene-based hybrid particles by an environmentally-friendly and aqueous solvent evaporation method

Abstract

The present paper reports preparation procedure and characterization of micrometer-sized polyethylene (PE)-based hybrid particles containing various amounts of Mg(OH) 2 powder treated with different amounts of methylhydrogen polysiloxane (MHS). The PE-based hybrid particles were fabricated by an environmentally-friendly and aqueous solvent evaporation method by employing different kinds of surfactants. The shape, microstructure and other properties of the resultant PE-based hybrid particles were dependent markedly on the changes in composition of raw materials, especially for the amount of MHS used for the treatment of Mg(OH) 2 and the kind of surfactant. The particles fabricated by using 1 wt% MHS-treated Mg(OH) 2 (ST-1) powder and polyoxyethylene (10) octylphenyl ether (Triton X-100) as a surfactant showed spherical shape and their primary particle sizes were about 4–10 μm, irrespective of the additive amount of ST-1 powder. These particles showed superior properties in terms of the actual content of MHS-treated Mg(OH) 2 powder incorporated inside the hybrid particles, particle size distribution and particle shape, in comparison with other particles fabricated by using 5 wt% MHS-treated Mg(OH) 2 (ST-5) powder and polyoxyethylene (8) octylphenyl ether (Triton X-114) as a surfactant. This is due to good affinity (average contact angle was 19.4°) between the ST-1 powder and the aqueous phase, i.e. a continuous phase, dissolving Triton X-100. Furthermore, a composite fabricated by employing these PE-based hybrid particles showed uniform and homogeneous distribution of ST-1 powder in the PE matrix.