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Effect of selective distribution of MWCNTs on the solid-state rheological and dielectric properties of blends of PMMA and LDPE

  • Composites & nanocomposites
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Abstract

The effects of adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the solid-state rheological and dielectric properties of blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were studied as a function of varying polymer ratio. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was performed in torsion mode, on the blends and their composites with MWCNTs. For a PMMA/LDPE blend with a ratio of 80:20, the evolution of the loss tangent with temperature showed a single thermal event, associated with the glass transition (Tg) of PMMA, confirming that co-continuity has not been achieved. Upon loading with 2 wt.% MWCNTs, a decrease in the magnitude of this peak is observed. Even though the MWCNTs preferentially locate in the polymer phase first to melt, i.e., LDPE, selective solvent extraction on this sample demonstrated that some of the MWCNTs are trapped in the major phase, PMMA. Moreover, DMTA measurements also revealed the formation of a “rheological” percolated network at ~ 3.5 wt.% MWCNTs in PMMA/LDPE blends with polymer ratios of 50:50 and 20:80, but not in 80:20. In contrast, for the same MWCNT concentration, a 80:20 blend displayed a well-developed AC conductivity plateau at low frequencies and highly enhanced dielectric properties, as a consequence of the high concentration of micro-capacitors formed by polymer films sandwiched by nanotubes within the LDPE phase, as proven from atomic force microscopy observations.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from a) Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Spain) for a Research Mobility Scholarship (PRX15/00252) awarded to M.G.M. and an Erasmus + Training grant awarded to C.R. for a research period spent at the IINM, University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and b) Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia (Universidad de Huelva) awarded to M.G.M. and C.R. for their research period at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi (Romania).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Centro de Investigación en Tecnología de Productos y Procesos Químicos (Pro2TecS), Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Huelva, 21071, Huelva, Spain

    Claudia Roman & Moisés García-Morales

  2. Department of Electrical Measurements and Materials, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Bd. Dimitrie Mangeron 53, 700050, Iasi, Romania

    Marius A. Olariu

  3. International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing, WMG, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Tony McNally

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  1. Claudia Roman
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  2. Moisés García-Morales
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  3. Marius A. Olariu
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  4. Tony McNally
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Contributions

CR contributed to methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing original draft and funding acquisition. MG-M helped in conceptualization, methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing original draft, writing review and editing, visualization, project administration and funding acquisition. MAO contributed to investigation, writing review and editing. TM helped in conceptualization, resources, writing review and editing, supervision and funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Moisés García-Morales.

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Roman, C., García-Morales, M., Olariu, M.A. et al. Effect of selective distribution of MWCNTs on the solid-state rheological and dielectric properties of blends of PMMA and LDPE. J Mater Sci 55, 8526–8540 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04622-6

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