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Mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene/nano-magnesium hydroxide composites prepared by an in situ bubble stretching method

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Abstract

Low-density polyethylene/nano-magnesium hydroxide (LDPE/nano-Mg(OH)2) composites have been prepared by an in situ bubble stretching (ISBS) method and simple shear method. By means of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was confirmed that the ISBS method leads to a high degree of dispersion of the Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles in the LDPE matrix. Furthermore, no significant re-aggregation of the nanoparticles was observed after removing the bubbles by means of high-speed grinding. The tensile strengths of nanocomposites prepared by means of the ISBS method were higher than those of materials with the same Mg(OH)2 loading produced by direct blending/extrusion. The tensile strength of the nanocomposites produced by the ISBS method reached a maximum value at an Mg(OH)2 content of 15 phr. In contrast, the tensile strength of composites prepared by direct blending/extrusion shows a monotonic decrease with increasing Mg(OH)2 content. The improvement in mechanical properties of nanocomposites associated with the use of the ISBS method can be attributed to a more homogeneous dispersion of smaller nanoparticles.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by a Key Scientific Research Project of the Chinese Ministry of Education (No. 104025) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50673006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Xiu-ting Zheng, Da-ming Wu, Qing-yun Meng, Ke-jian Wang, Ying Liu, Li Wan & Dong-yun Ren

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  1. Xiu-ting Zheng
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  2. Da-ming Wu
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  3. Qing-yun Meng
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  4. Ke-jian Wang
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Correspondence to Da-ming Wu.

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Zheng, Xt., Wu, Dm., Meng, Qy. et al. Mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene/nano-magnesium hydroxide composites prepared by an in situ bubble stretching method. J Polym Res 15, 59–65 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-007-9141-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-007-9141-7

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