High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Clay Nanocomposite for Dielectric Applications

Indigenous Montmorillonite clay available from Kutchh region in western part of India was modified by Hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, a quaternary ammonium compound to make it organophilic. It was blended with high density, polyethylene (HDPE) in a Brabender Plasticoder. The condition for blending was optimized and sheets were prepared for evaluating mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. Mechanical property such as tensile was improved. The electrical properties such as dielectric strength, volume resistivity and surface resistivity were measured as per ASTM D149 and ASTM D257 standards. It was observed that electrical properties of nanoclay composite improved significantly when organoclay was treated with silane and titanate compounds. Thermal characterization of the HDPE and HDPE clay nanocomposite had been carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It has been observed that the thermal stability of the nanocomposite increases significantly when the silane and titanate coupling agents are used.