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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Processing – morphology – property relationships of polyamide 6/polyethylene blend–clay nanocomposites

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In this work, we studied the effect of the method of preparation and of reprocessing on the morphology and, con- sequently, on the physical properties of polyamide 6 (PA6)/ high density polyethylene (HDPE)-clay nanocomposite blends in the presence of different compatibilizers. In particular, the nanocomposites were obtained by melt mixing using a co- rotating twin screw extruder (E1). The blends thus obtained were re-extruded (E2) under the same operating conditions. Moreover, blends with the same final composition were produced using a masterbatch of the compatibilizer with the clay prepared in a separated stage in a batch mixer (MB). All the materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analyses. In addition, the rheological behaviour and the, tensile and impact, properties were evaluated. The XRD and TEM analysis showed that re-extrusion slightly improves the morphology of the nanocomposites. A further improvement of the morphology, in terms of lower clay dimension and better dispersion, was observed in the MB blends. The results of the mechanical tests showed that reprocess- ing (E2) induced an increase of all the properties for all the three systems. A further general increase of the mechanical properties was showed by the MB blends.