• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2014

Nanocomposites based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/(PVDF) blended with carbon fibers (CF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt mixing in the twin screw extruder. Morphologies of the PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT and PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites were investigated using SEM. The aggregation of CNT was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites while the good dispersion of CNT was shown in PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites. In SEM image of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposite, the CNT were mainly located at the PET domain of phase-separated PET/PVDF blend due to the ${\pi}-{\pi}$ interaction between the phenyl ring of PET and graphite sheet of the CNT's surface. In addition, a fairly good compatibility between PET/PVDF matrix and CF was shown in the SEM image. In the case of PET/PVDF nanocomposites blended with the co-addition of CF and CNT, the volume electrical resistivity decreased while no change was observed in PMMA/PVDF/CF/CNT composites. The degree of CNT dispersion in morphology results was consistent with the electrical conductivity results. From the DSC results, the crystallization temperature (Tc) of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT nanocomposites increased due to the co-addition of CF and CNTs acting as a nucleating agent. Flexural modulus of PET/PVDF/CF/CNT were sharply enhanced due to increasing the interaction between PET and CF.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2014

3-Amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATA) (2.5 and 5.0 phr) was incorporated into a immiscible maleated ethylene propylene diene rubber(mEPDM)/maleated high density polyethylene(mHDPE) (50 wt%/50 wt%) blend by melt mixing. Effects of the ATA on structure, mechanical and rheological properties of the blend was investigated. FT-IR and DMA results revealed that supramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the polymer chains occur by reaction of ATA with maleic anhydride grafted onto the component polymers in the blend, which induces the physical crosslinks in the blend. FE-SEM analysis showed that mEPDM forms a dispersed phase in continuous mHDPE matrix, and the blend with the ATA has finer phase morphology as compared to the blend without the ATA. By the addition of ATA in the blend, there were significant increases in tensile strength, modulus and elongation-at-break as well as elastic recoverability. Melt rheology studies revealed that ATA induced substantial increase in storage modulus and complex viscosity of the blend at the melt state.