Dynamic Mechanical Investigations of Highly Filled Polyethylene

Abstract

The properties of filler polymers can be influenced by specific surface interactions between fillers and polymers and are mainly determined by volume fractions, shape of filler particles and bulk properties of the components.^1,2,3,4,5 Though there is still considerable uncertainty about the existence and detailed structure of the interphase for several filled polymers, the occurrence of “bound polymer” is direct evidence of polymer-filler interaction.^{1, 6, 7, 8} Bound polymer is the portion of a polymer in a composite which cannot be extracted with solvent, although the polymer as such (without filler) is quickly and completely dissolved by the solvent used. Recently several authors have demonstrated the presence of bound polymer in various polyethylene-filler composites.^{9,10, 11,12}