Fracture Strength Evaluation of Agglomerates of Fatty Acid-Coated CaCO3 Nanoparticles by Nano-Indentation

Abstract

Nanoparticles often form agglomerates during their manufacturing process. When nanoparticles form agglomerates, their inherent properties cannot be fully exploited. In this study, we attempted to establish a conventional method to evaluate the fracture strength of agglomerates into smaller parts. We used a commercially available nano-indentation instrument with a flat indenter tip. We chose calcium carbonate nanoparticles with stearic acid coatings as model materials. It was found that the more fatty acid that is coated on the particle surface, the stronger the agglomerates become. The technique we propose in this study can be used to rapidly evaluate the fracture strength of nanoparticle agglomerates.

Influence of Nanoparticle CaCO3 Addition to the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene-CaCO3 Composite

“…Meanwhile, it decreased due to uneven distribution of nano-sized CaCO3. This is because nano-sized CaCO3 filler has very small particles, so that the nano-sized CaCO3 tends to clump and form a larger drain structure or known as agglomeration which has an impact on the decreasing of tensile strength [9,11]. The tendency to form very large agglomerates is due to electrostatic forces between CaCO3 particles.…”