Effect of Cobalt Ferrite Loading on Differential Scanning Calorimetry of Magnetic Polymer Composites

Abstract

Effects of magnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) on thermal properties of polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU) and natural rubber (NR) matrices were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The endothermic peak area of PP was reduced with increasing loading of CoFe 2 O 4 from 0 to 45 % and such peak in semicrystalline PU was entirely absent when the CoFe 2 O 4 loading was over 25 part per hundred rubber. The results indicated that magnetic clusters embedded at the interchain spacing inhibited the nucleation of order segments in polymer matrix. The presence of CoFe 2 O 4 particles also had influence on the mobile amorphous portions of PU chains with polar functional group. No endothermic evidence on the thermograms of non-polar amorphous NR was observed.