Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Torque Rheometer (torque + rheometer)
Selected AbstractsFusion characteristics of rigid PVC/wood-flour composites by torque rheometryJOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Laurent M. Matuana This study was aimed at examining the effects of wood flour contents, wood species (softwood vs. hardwood), and particle size on the fusion characteristics (fusion time, fusion temperature, fusion torque, and fusion energy) of rigid PVC/wood-flour composites in a torque rheometer. Neat rigid PVC exhibited one fusion peak, whereas the addition of wood flour into the PVC matrix led to two fusion peaks. Increased wood flour content caused a significant increase in the time, temperature, and energy at which fusion between the primary particles started, thereby leading to increased fusion torque, irrespective of the wood flour species. These results implied that rigid PVC filled with wood flour must be processed at higher temperatures than neat resin. Although fusion characteristics of the composites were influenced by the wood species, a clear trend between softwood and hardwood species could not be established. However, finer particles fused more quickly and needed less energy than coarse ones. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 13:7,13, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source] Characterization of HDPE /Polyamide 6/ Nanocomposites Using Scanning-and Transmission Electron MicroscopyMACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2007Eleonora Erdmann Abstract Summary: Preparation and morphology of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/ polyamide 6 (PA 6)/modified clay nanocomposites were studied. The ability of PA 6 in dispersing clays was used to prepare modified delaminated clays, which were then mixed with HDPE. Mixing was performed using melt processing in a torque rheometer equipped with roller rotors. After etching the materials with boiling toluene and formic acid at room temperature, the morphology was examined by SEM analyses, showing that the PA 6 formed the continuous phase and HDPE the dispersed phase. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the (001) peak of the clay is dramatically decreased and shifted to lower angles, indicating that intercalated/exfoliated nanocomposites are obtained. TEM analyses confirmed the typical structure of exfoliated nanocomposites. A scheme for the mechanism of exfoliation and/or intercalation of these HDPE /PA 6/ /organoclay nanocomposites is proposed. [source] The impact of silane chemistry conditions on the properties of wood plastic composites with low density polyethylene and high wood contentPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 5 2010Yu Geng Silane chemistry was implemented on various formulations of wood/thermoplastic polymer composites (WPCs) with low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high wood content (60 wt%). Taguchi analysis was used to evaluate the impact of vinyltrimethoxysilane content (VTMS), dicumyl peroxide content (DCP), and processing temperature on the rheological, morphological, and dynamic mechanic properties of WPCs. The torque power was measured by a Haake torque rheometer and indicated that the VTMS content and temperature most significantly impacted the rheological properties related to silane reactions. Differential scanning calorimetry also showed a larger depression in LDPE melting point and crystallinity index when a high VTMS content (35 phr), high DCP content (0.5 phr), and a high compounding temperature (200°C) were used. With dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), it was shown that the compounded formulations had a higher storage modulus over a wide range of temperature whereas the , transition temperature increased with higher content in silane reactants. Interestingly, the high humidity/temperature conditioning step aimed at crosslinking resulted in a drop of dynamic moduli compared to the freshly compounded formulations. This was explained by the fact that during compounding of LDPE with high wood content and silane reactants, significant amounts of matrix and interfacial silane crosslinking already occurred. Subsequent conditioning in a high humidity and temperature environment was proposed to hydrolyze the interfacial siloxane bonds resulting in a degradation of mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Effect of sawdust surface treatment and compatibilizer addition on mechanical behavior, morphology, and moisture uptake of polypropylene/sawdust compositesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Silvia H.P. Bettini Polypropylene/sawdust composites were investigated to assess the effect of sawdust surface treatment and compatibilizer addition on polymer/fiber adhesion. Two silane coupling agents were used for sawdust surface treatment: vinyl-tris (2-methoxyethoxy) silane and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene was used as compatibilizer. Composites were prepared in a corotating twin-screw extruder coupled to a Haake torque rheometer and submitted to tensile and bending tests as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moisture uptake tests were also performed. Results showed that incorporation of untreated sawdust to polypropylene (PP) caused reduction in composite tensile strength and increase in stiffness. When the only treatment used was surface modification with silane coupling agents, no significant changes were observed in mechanical properties. However, when compatibilizer was added to the composites, tensile strength was increased, and % elongation at break reduced, indicating improved system compatibility. The composite presenting the highest increase in tensile strength was that containing sawdust treated with amino silane in addition to the compatibilizer. SEM analyses corroborated the mechanical property results. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Reactive doping of PAni,CSA and its use in microwave absorbing materialsPOLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 1 2009R. S. Biscaro Abstract Conductive coatings have been studied for static dissipation and as microwave absorbing materials. The doping process of polyaniline (PAni), which makes it conductive, is an important stage that determines the coating performance. For this purpose, polyaniline was doped by reactive processing in a torque rheometer using different molar ratios between PAni and acid (PAni:CSA) at three different temperatures (80, 90, and 100°C). Aqueous solution doping was also used in the ratio of 1:2 of PAni/CSA, with the aim to investigate the influence of different methods of PAni doping on its characteristics and, consequently, on the performance of coatings. Thermal analyses of the processed materials showed that PAni doped by both routes, reactive and solution processing, showed similar behaviors. X-ray diffraction analyses showed a semicrystalline structure for the PAni,CSA doped by reactive processing using high CSA concentrations and temperature. It was also observed that the doping process affects the dispersion of the components into the conductive coatings. Microwave absorption measurements (8,12,GHz) of PU-doped PAni blends showed the dependence of the doping type, the PAni,CSA concentration, and the mixing conditions of the components on the coating performance; it was found up to 99% of attenuation of the incident radiation for some composites in a narrow frequency range. The microwave absorption efficiency of the coating samples prepared by using the reactive doping process indicates the advantage of this methodology over solution doping. Moreover, the reactive process addresses the environmental requirements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Morphology and thermal properties of a PC/PE blend with reactive compatibilizationPOLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 6 2007Bo Yin Abstract Reactive compatibilization of immiscible polymers is becoming increasingly important and hence a representative study of a polycarbonate/high density polyethylene (PC/HDPE) system is the focus of this paper. A grafted copolymer PC- graft -ethylene- co -acrylic acid (PC- graft -EAA) was generated as a compatibilizer in situ during processing operation by ester and acid reaction between PC and ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) in the presence of the catalyst dibutyl tin oxide (DBTO). As the polyethylene (PE) matrix does not play any part during the synthesis of the copolymer and since PC and EAA are also immiscible, to simplify the system, the influence of this copolymer formation at the interface between PC and EAA on rheological properties, phase morphology, and crystallization behavior for EAA/PC binary blends was first studied. The equilibrium torque increased with the DBTO content increasing in EAA/PC blends on Haake torque rheometer, indicating the in situ formation of the graft copolymer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of cryogenically fractured surfaces showed a significant change at the distribution and dispersion of the dispersed phase in the presence of DBTO, compared with the EAA/PC blend without the catalyst. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies suggested that the heat of fusion of the EAA phase in PC/EAA blends with or without DBTO reduced with the formation of the copolymer compared with pure EAA. Then morphological studies and crystallization behavior of the uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of PC/PE were studied as functions of EAA phase concentration and DBTO content. Morphological observations in PC/PE blends also revealed that on increasing the EAA content or adding the catalyst DBTO, the number of microvoids was reduced and the interface was intensive as compared to the uncompatibilized PC/PE blends. Crystallization studies indicated that PE crystallized at its bulk crystallization temperature. The degree of crystallinity of PE phase in PC/PE/EAA blends was also reduced with the addition of EAA and DBTO compared to the uncompatibilized blends of PC/PE, indicating the decrease in the degree of crystallinity was more in the presence of PC- graft -EAA. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||