STUDY OF MECHANICAL, RHEOLOGICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
NANOCOMPOSITES PREPARED WITH GRAPHENE AND CARBON NANOTUBES
Polymeric nanocomposites containing carbon nanoparticles, such as nanotubes or graphene, have been studied in recent years aiming to improve different properties, such as electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. This work aims at the study of nanocomposites based on a matrix of low density polyethylene (LDPE) containing multiwall carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets to evaluate the effect of the addition of these nanoparticles on the mechanical, rheological and electrical properties. Carbon nanotubes and graphene were incorporated into the low density polyethylene through a high speed blender type mixer to promote better dispersion of the particles. In this work four types of LDPE were used, with different molar masses. Two formulations were obtained for each type of LDPE, a formulation with the addition of 1% multilayer carbon nanotube and another with 5% graphene
nanoplatelets. The distribution of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy, and the mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile tests. Rheological properties within the linear
viscoelasticity regime were studied by parallel plate rheometry. The electrical conductivity of the samples will also be evaluated. The effects of the molecular structure of LDPE’s on the dispersion of nanoparticles, and on the limit of
mechanical and electrical percolation will be analyzed.