Polyamide/polyethylene/graphite nanocomposites: development and morpho-structural and physical-mechanical characterisation

This paper presents the development of bipolymer nanopolymers - polyamide and polyethylene - compatibilised with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride and graphite nanoparticles. Polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) composites are studied because both components are relatively inexpensive, advantageous and are processed by injection. Compatibilisation of binary polymer compounds can be accomplished by adding a grafted copolymer, the segments of which have physical or chemical affinity with the two immiscible homopolymers. In this case, polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) was used. Graphite-containing polymer composites are considered a new generation of materials with predefined properties, in this case, resistance to impact. The combined effects of graphite and compatibilizing polymer (PE-g-MA) were studied on the structure and properties of the new materials. The tested nanocomposites were characterized morpho-structurally (SEM, FT-IR spectrometry) and physico-mechanically.