Effect of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene on engineering properties and morphology of fumed silica filled polyethylene blown films

Abstract

Blown films of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/fumed silica (FS) composites were prepared by melt-mixing in twin-screw extruder. Maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MA) was introduced to improve the state of filler dispersion during melt processing. The blown films were tested for thermal, mechanical, morphological, barrier, and optical properties. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) study indicated that interaction between FS and HDPE was slightly enhanced by PE-g-MA. No change in percent crystallinity was observed but mechanical properties improved after modification. Morphological analyses showed large FS clusters at higher loading which decreased after modification. Both oxygen and water vapor transmission rates of the films increased in composites as compared to HDPE, plausibly due to formation of nanogaps in blown film and/or increased solubility of penetrant molecules at filler-matrix interface.

Dynamic rheology and morphology of HDPE‐fumed silica composites: Effect of interface modification

“…Especially for high FS contents, the number of large aggregates decreased, and instead, more aggregates with moderate or small size appeared. The micrographs for both uncompatibilized and compatibilized composites at higher magnification (97 kX) are discussed in the earlier publication [40]. Thus, from the TEM micrographs a corroborative evidence was obtained about the interfacial interaction occurring between PE‐ g ‐MA and hydrophilic FS which in turn reduced the size of the agglomerates of the silica particles.…”

The effects of glutamine palmitic acid content on properties of high density polyethylene/silica composites

“…, where the percentage of water uptake is plotted against time for all samples. As can be seen, generally, water absorption increased with immersion time as silica is hydrophilic in nature . The silica particle which has the silanol group on its surfaces has strong affinity toward water molecules through hydrogen bonding.…”

“…Further addition of GP decreased the tensile strength of the composites, but all values were retained above those of the control composites. The increment of tensile strength can be explained by the formation of an interfacial adhesion layer of GP between silica and HDPE as illustrated in Fig. .…”

“…The highly hydrophobic HDPE [1,4,5] which are mixed with inorganic fillers and is hydrophilic in nature offered a superior combination of physical and mechanical properties that are not available in conventional materials [6]. Since the present and future challenge of composites are their incompatibility of polarity, the development of fatty acids as compatibilizers in order to enhance the surface interaction between the different polarity of the polymer matrix and filler are not a new practice [7][8][9].…”

“…A tremendous amount of research regarding the incorporation of compatibilizers in high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites filled with inorganic fillers such as silica, montmorillonite, and calcium carbonate has been widely done . The highly hydrophobic HDPE which are mixed with inorganic fillers and is hydrophilic in nature offered a superior combination of physical and mechanical properties that are not available in conventional materials . Since the present and future challenge of composites are their incompatibility of polarity, the development of fatty acids as compatibilizers in order to enhance the surface interaction between the different polarity of the polymer matrix and filler are not a new practice .…”