Preparation and Properties of High Density Polyethylene/Montmorillonite Nano-composites

High density polyethylene/montmorillonite (PE-HD/MMT) nano-composites were prepared using maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA-g-MAH) and maleic anhydride grafted low-density polyethylene (PE-LD-g-MAH) as the compatibilizers. The structure of organo-montmorillonite and PE-HD/MMT nano-composites was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The influence of montmorillonite and compatibilizer content on mechanical properties and thermal behavior was investigated. The compatibilizers promoted the intercalation, and the layer spacing was increased from 2.10 nm to 3. 85 nm, resulting in a fine dispersion of MMT in the matrix. The composites showed the optimal mechanical properties when the MMT content was 3 wt% and EVA-g-MAH content was 15 wt% , the impact strength and tensile strength were enhanced 43. 7 % and 5.8 % , respectively, compared with neat PE-HD.