Preparation and characterization of hollow glass microsphere reinforced poly(butylene succinate) composites

In this study, poly(butylene succinate)/hollow glass microsphere (PBS/HGM) composites were prepared with various HGM contents. The phase morphology, melting and crystallization behavior, mechanical properties and thermal stability of PBS/HGM composites were investigated in detail. Regarding the thermal properties, it was observed that the incorporation of HGM increased the crystallization rate and thermal stability of PBS without affecting the crystalline structure of the composite. With the increase of HGM content from 5 wt% to 20 wt%, the storage modulus and complex viscosity values increased continuously, while the density of the composite monotonously decreased. Moreover, the modulus of the specimens increased from 330 MPa to 470 MPa. The results showed that, although raw HGM was used without any modification, the HGM played an important role in improving the properties of PBS. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.