Toward forced assembly of in situ low‐density polyethylene composites reinforced with low‐Tg phosphate glass fibers: Effects of matrix crystallization and shear deformation |
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Authors: | Romain Lanneluc Véronique Bounor‐Legaré René Fulchiron Jin Katena Joshua U Otaigbe |
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Affiliation: | 1. Université de Lyon, F‐69361 Lyon, France;2. CNRS, UMR 5223, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, F‐69621 Villeurbanne, France;3. Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F‐69622 Villeurbanne, France;4. School of Polymers and High performance Materials, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
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Abstract: | This study is aimed at investigating the feasibility of using facile forced assembly methods (temperature and shear strain‐induced orientation of the dispersed phase) to create novel “in situ” low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) composites containing fibrillar inorganic phosphate glass (P‐glass) reinforcing phase during the composite fabrication. Clearly, the experimental results show that unique thermo‐rheological conditions exist under which the “in situ” LDPE composites containing fibrillar P‐glass with potential enhanced benefits can be prepared. DSC results showed that the P‐glass has a moderate nucleating effect on the LDPE crystallization that restricts in situ deformation of the P‐glass during the composite fabrication. Rheo‐optical data showed that a 5% P‐glass/95% LDPE hybrid composition, subjected to a shear rate of 20 s?1 in the parallel plate configuration and 130°C gave “in situ” LDPE composite samples with the largest amount of P‐glass fibers in the limited range of experimental conditions used. This study may spur interests in a better understanding of the potential for the “in situ” reinforcement of engineering plastics with inorganic P‐glasses, at the molecular level, to produce novel “in situ” polymer composites with very high aspect ratios of the reinforcing inorganic phase. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers |
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