Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of modified high-density polyethylene/barium sulfate nanocomposites

✍ Scribed by Xiaolei Chen; Jiangao Shi; Lei Wang; Hang Shi; Yongli Liu; Lumin Wang

• Book ID: 104510710
• Publisher: Society for Plastic Engineers
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 374 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0272-8397
• DOI: 10.1002/pc.21023

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The melting/crystallization behavior and isothermal crystallization kinetics of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/barium sulfate (BaSO~4~) nanocomposites were studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The isothermal crystallization kinetics of the neat HDPE and nanocomposites was described with the Avrami equation. For neat HDPE and HDPE/BaSO~4~ nanocomposites, the values of n ranges from 1.7 to 2.0. Values of the Avrami exponent indicated that crystallization nucleation of the nanocomposites is two‐dimensional diffusion‐controlled crystal growth. The multiple melting behaviors were found on DSC scan after isothermal crystallization process. The multiple endotherms could be attributed to melting of the recrystallized materials or the secondary lamellae caused during different crystallization processes. Adding the BaSO~4~ nanoparticles increased the equilibrium melting temperature of HDPE in the nanocomposites. Surface free energy of HDPE chain folding for crystallization of HDPE/BaSO~4~ nanocomposites was lower than that of neat HDPE, confirming the heterogeneous nucleation effect of BaSO~4~. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers