A comprehensive characterisation of wollastonite-filled low-density polyethylene composites

Abstract

In this study, wollastonite (WOL)-filled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites were developed taking into account cost, environmental considerations and performance parameters that are essential for composite materials. For this purpose, LDPE composites containing 5, 10, 15 and 20 (wt%) WOL were produced by injection moulding process. When the results are examined, the effect of the addition of WOL can be seen in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. As a result of the microstructural analyses, it was observed that the WOL particles can be homogeneously distributed in the matrix, but there are interfacial voids. Accordingly, elongation at break (EB) and notched impact strength (NIS) values decreased, tensile strength (TS) values did not change significantly, while flexural strength (FS) and flexural modulus (FM) performance increased. The addition of WOL did not significantly change the melting and crystallisation temperatures (Tm and Tc) and the degree of crystallinity (Xc) of the composites, but had a positive effect on the temperatures at which the composites degraded by 5% (T5) and 50% (T50). When analysing the effect of WOL addition on the viscoelastic properties, an increase in storage modulus (SM) and loss modulus (LM) values was observed as the amount of WOL increased.