Dynamic mechanical analysis of barium ferrite magnetic tapes with aramid and poly(ethylene naphthalate) substrates

Abstract

Frequency‐ and temperature‐dependent viscoelastic characteristics of advanced materials used for high‐capacity digital magnetic tapes were analyzed using a custom ultra‐low frequency dynamic mechanical analyzer (ULDMA). The magnetic tapes studied both use barium ferrite (BaFe) magnetic particles. One tape uses an aromatic poly(amide) or aramid substrate, and the other tape uses a poly(ethylene naphthalate) or PEN substrate. ULDMA studies were performed for both types of tape materials using samples cut from reels and the substrates after the front and back coats were removed. Two‐hour experiments were performed at 25, 30, 50, and 70°C temperatures, and four test frequencies were used at each temperature: 0.006, 0.010, 0.033, and 0.065 Hz. Properties determined were the peak strain‐based elastic modulus, E, and the storage modulus, E′, loss modulus, E″, loss tangent, tan(δ), complex modulus, E*, and complex loss, E″/E*, expressed as a percentage. When compared with the PEN tape and substrate materials, the peak elastic modulus, storage modulus, and complex modulus were higher for the aramid materials. Substrates for each material exhibited higher elastic, storage, and complex moduli compared with their respective tapes. Through the complex loss percentage, comparisons were made between the aramid and PEN materials related to their viscoelastic characteristics. Finally, the influence of frequency was shown to have increasing relevance at higher temperatures, with the PEN tape and substrate exhibiting an increase in complex loss modulus in the 50°C range because of the β* secondary transition. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41478.