The effect of nano-sized calcium carbonate on thermodynamic parameters of HDPE

One of the main limitations in application of polymers, particularly thermoplastic polymers such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP), is their poor thermal properties. To promote mechanical and thermal properties of HDPE, ceramic phases are added to it. In the current research, to enhance thermal properties of HDPE, nano-sized calcium carbonate was used. For this purpose, HDPE/10%CaCO3 nanocomposite was fabricated using a twin screw mixer-single screw extruder. The properties of HDPE and its nanocomposite were investigated through differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) and thermo mechanical analyzer (TMA) tests. The results of DSC tests showed that the addition of nano-sized calcium carbonate to HDPE caused to increase the heat capacity, sensible heat and crystallinity index. The TMA results illustrated an increase in dimensional stability of HDPE as nano-sized of calcium carbonate added to it. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.