Effectiveness of a maleated compatibilizer on the tensile and tear properties of peroxide-cured metallocene polyethylene/clay nanocomposites

Peroxide-cured metallocene polyethylene (mPE)/clay nanocomposites were prepared via melt mixing followed by hot press curing. The maleated compatibilizer, mPE grafted maleic anhydride (mPE-g-MA), was incorporated to improve the dispersion of various amounts of commercial organoclay (denoted as 20A). Experimental samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results indicated that there was an increase in dispersion with the addition of the compatibilizer. A measurable difference in the crystallization temperature, up to 9.5 A degrees C, can be found for cured mPE reinforced with 5 phr clay in comparison cured mPE, indicating the promotion of crystallization kinetics through the addition of clay moiety. Taking 5 wt% loss as an index of thermal stability, the degradation temperature increased from 375.2 A degrees C in cured mPE to 431.2 A degrees C in the maleated 5 phr-loaded system, the highest improvement in all investigated cases. The Young's Modulus and tear strength of maleated nanocomposites containing the compatibilizer at 9 phr clay content showed the highest values of up to 2 times increment compared those without clay, reflecting the increased interfacial interaction with the exploit of the compatibilizer.