Abstract
The inclusion of CaCO3 and kaolin in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer matrices greatly enhances the physical and mechanical properties of the composite. In this study, the effects of kaolin and surface treatment of CaCO3 and kaolin particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of PVC composites filled with kaolin particles via melt blending method were studied by means of SEM, tensile, Charpy impact testing, and FTIR. Treated and untreated kao-lin particles were dispersed in matrices of PVC resin at different concentrations up to 30 wt percentage. The tensile strength, elastic modulus, strain to failure and morphology of the resulting composites were measured for various filler loadings. Uniform dispersion of the fillers into the matrix proved to be a critical factor. SEM images revealed that small sized particles were more agglomerated than micron-sized particles and the amount of agglomerates increased with increasing particle content. Silane treated Kaolin-CaCO3/PVC composites had superior tensile and impact strengths to untreated kaolin-CaCO3/PVC composites. The Young’s modulus of all composites increased with increasing particle content up to maximum at 10% filler loading followed by gradually decreasing as content increased.
Highlights
Kaolin and calcium carbonate has long been recognized as useful additives for thermoplastics and in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for many applications
The effects of kaolin and surface treatment of CaCO3 and kaolin particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of PVC composites filled with kaolin particles via melt blending method were studied by means of SEM, tensile, Charpy impact testing
Treated and untreated kaolin particles were dispersed in matrices of PVC resin at different concentrations up to 30wt percentage
Summary
Kaolin and calcium carbonate has long been recognized as useful additives for thermoplastics and in PVC for many applications. The specific structure allows this material to fulfill additional functions like Processing aid, impact modification and better weather ability. PVC is the second most consumed polymer right after PE This low-cost material has numerous advantages, such as a high modulus, excellent chemical resistance and easy conversion. The addition of low-cost fillers such as calcium carbonate or talc was historically justified by the cost reduction; performance improvements and other benefits brought by the use of these materials are the cause of its increasing use in PVC systems [1,2,3,4,5]. Silane is a material of choice due to its ability to form grafting species with the polymer matrix and its availability as a commercial product
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