Preparation and characterization of polyethylene/cellulose composite with diatomite and bentonite as fillers

This research work was carried out to examine the performance of different polyethylene/cellulose composites. The effect of three different factors was examined. First factor was the effect of clay type as filler, in which diatomite and bentonite were used. Second factor was the effect of cellulose grafting with cyclic oxymethylene. Third factor was the presence of polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) in the polymer matrix of polyethylene/cellulose as a compatibilizer. The polymer matrix was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Tensile test and permeability were also examined.