Evaluation of the Effect of Clay Nanoparticles on Mechanical Properties of Recycled Polyethylene

Over recent years, industrial applications of polymer/nanoclay nanocomposites have increased, because of their improved properties such as HDT, gas barrier ability, dimensional stability, mechanical properties, optical transparency, and flame retardation. In this work, we studied the mechanical properties of organically modified nanoclay (montmorillonite) dispersions in recycled film blowing extrusion grade polyethylene (rPE) matrix at different nanoclay contents. Results showed that the mechanical properties of the composites depend strongly on the nature and concentrations of nanoclay. The experimental values of the composites were compared to those obtained by using mixing laws. We showed that the mechanical properties correctly accounted for the experimental results at low concentrations of nanoclay particle. At concentrations higher than a few percentages, these laws fail to interpret the experimental results and all experimental results must take into account some parameters such as the particle size, their distribution, and the formation of agglomerates. The Experimental results of recycled polyethylene showed chain entanglement and decreased chain mobility, leading to an increase of brittleness and decreasing plastic behavior.