HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE / MICRO CALCIUM CARBONATE COMPOSITE: EFFECT OF PROCESSING CONDITION ON THERMAL MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

摘要

HDPE with different ratio of CaCO3 containing masterbatch were prepared in a Haake batch mixer. The condition of mixing such as mixing temperature and mixing speed were varied in order to mimic the effect of processing condition on the thermal and morphology of the composites. The thermal properties of these composites were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystallization rates of the composites samples are found to be higher than the neat HDPE resin. The presence of CaCO3 also affected the melting behavior of the composite by heterogeneous nucleation phenomenon. The dispersion and interfacial interaction between CaCO3 and polymer matrix is also investigated by SEM.