Dielectric and thermal stability studies on high density polyethylene-Chitosan composites plasticized with palm oil

HDPE-chitosan composites (HC) prepared using maleic anhydride as compatibilizer and palm oil as plasticizer have been subjected to dielectric characterization and thermal studies. At a lower frequency HC films were seen to exhibit an increasing dielectric constant due to interfacial polarization of the chitosan. This increase in dielectric loss with increasing concentration of chitosan indicated the presence of relaxing dipoles in the system. The addition of palm oil to the optimised HC5 system showed improved segmental mobility due to the interaction of polar amine group in chitosan with HDPE. The thermal stability and activation energy of the composites were computed using Coats- Redfern model. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Developments in Materials, Manufacturing and Energy Engineering.

Automated summary

HDPE-chitosan composites prepared with maleic anhydride and palm oil were characterized for dielectric properties and thermal behavior. The results showed that chitosan induced interfacial polarization leading to an increase in dielectric constant, and increasing chitosan concentration resulted in higher dielectric loss. The addition of palm oil improved segmental mobility and thermal stability of the composites.