Determination of Polyolefine Based Composites Nanostructure Parameters by Very Cold Neutrons Scattering

S.P. Kuznetsova, I.L. Dubnikovab, V.S. Litvinc, I.V. Meshkova, A.V. Shelagind and A.I. Udovenkoa a Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii Pr. 53, Moscow, 119991 Russia b Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kosygina 4, Moscow, 117977 Russia c Institute of Nuclear Researches, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. 60 years of October 7A, Moscow, 117312 Russia d Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskii per. 9, Dolgoprudny, 141700 Russia

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Very cold neutrons (VCN) scattering method was used to study the morphology of polyolefine based nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were prepared by the melt mixing method. The special surface active additions and the fillers surface modification were used to improve the polymer-filler compatibility. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), the calcium carbonate (CC) submicron particles and the layered natural mineral montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles were used as the fillers. The fractal structural model was used to describe the VCN scattering on the nanofillers agglomerates. It was shown by VCN scattering that the volume part of isolated MWCNTs in polypropylene (PP) based composites decreases with the increase of the filler loading, the density of MWCNT packing in agglomerates increases with the total volume nanotube concentration and decreases with the nanotube surface modification. It was revealed that the isolated CC particles are dominated in the CC/PP samples with low CC (5 vol.%) loading. It was shown that practically full MMT exfoliation within polyethylene (PE) matrix can be achieved by both polymerization exfoliation method and by melt mixing compounding with using special polar polymer additions.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.117.727 PACS numbers: 61.05.fm, 61.48.De, 82.35.Np