Rheological and mechanical characteristics of low density polyethylene/ethylene‐vinyl acetate/organoclay nanocomposites |
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| Authors: | Afsoon Behradfar Akbar Shojaei Nasrin Sheikh |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, P. O. Box 11155‐9465, Tehran, Iran;2. Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Radiation Applications Research School, P. O. Box 11365‐3486, Tehran, Iran |
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| Abstract: | Attempts were made to trace the effect of organoclay (OC) on the rheological and mechanical behaviors of the low density polyethylene (LDPE)/ethylene‐vinyl acetate (EVA) blends. To do this effectively, in addition to LDPE/EVA/OC system, pure LDPE and LDPE/EVA blends were also examined as model systems. The rheological behavior was determined by the capillary rheometer. Morphological characterization was also carried out using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and theoretical approach based on interfacial energies. Shear viscosity, tensile strength and elastic modulus of LDPE/EVA were found to decrease by increasing the EVA content, while for LDPE/EVA/OC ternary nanocomposites, such properties showed an increase by increasing the content of EVA. Such behavior was explained by the morphological characteristic of the system in which OC was mainly intercalated/exfoliated in the EVA phase. This morphological characteristic was corroborated by the XRD, TEM and interfacial energies data. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers |
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