Thermal and morphological characterization of composites prepared by solution crystallization method of high‐density polyethylene on carbon nanotubes

Abstract

AbstractThe morphology, nucleation, and crystallization of polyethylene/carbon nanotubes composites prepared by solution crystallization method of high density polyethylene on Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs) are studied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results show that the center stems of MWNTs are decorated with lamellar crystals. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of pure PE and PE/MWNTs composites are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry at various cooling rates. It is found that the Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny and Mo can describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of pure PE and PE/MWNTs very well. The difference in the value of exponent between PE and PE/MWNTs suggests that addition of the MWNTs influences the mechanism of nucleation and the growth of PE crystallites. On one hand, the increasing of temperature corresponding to the maximum rate of crystallization and the onset crystallization temperature and the study of the nucleation activity reveal that the inorganic component (MWNTs) can act as the nucleating agent to facilitate the crystallization of PE in the hybrids. On the other hand, the decreasing degree of crystallinity and the increasing of half‐crystallization time imply that the MWNTs networks confine the crystallization of PE. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers