The search for new materials with properties suitable for specific applications has increased the number of research studies to fill the market demands. The development of polymer composites by the addition of inorganic fillers to the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) increases the potential use of this polymer in various application fields. The main objective of this work was to study the rheological and mechanical behavior of composites obtained from the addition of silica in two different types of PMMA matrix: a common (PMMAc) and an elastomeric copolymer (PMMAel). The results showed that the addition of silica particles to the PMMA matrix promoted an increase in torque, a decrease in the melt flow index of composites and an increase in hardness compared to pure polymers. The composites also showed a reduction of the maximum tensile strength for composites with PMMAc matrix and maintenance of tensile strength for composites with PMMAel matrix. The average width of scratch decreased due to a change in wear mechanism, attributed to the increase of hardness in the composites obtained.

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In this work, the properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/alumina composites prepared by melt blending were evaluated. Two types of alumina were used: one, that was synthesized (ALS) by the combustion reaction method, and the other that is commercially available (ALC). Extrusion proved to be a good processing technique for obtaining PMMA/alumina composites. PMMA/alumina composites containing ALC presented higher alumina average particles size. The addition of alumina to PMMA substantially decreased the wear index and increased the scratch resistance. The mechanical properties of the composites containing ALS were similar to those containing ALC. The storage modulus ( E′) increased with the addition of alumina to PMMA. The zero shear viscosity ( η0) values of the composites containing ALC were higher than those of the composites containing ALS.

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