PREPARATION AND TENSILE STRENGTH TESTING OF NANOCRYSTALLINE ZIRCONIUM OXIDE - POLYETHYLENE COMPOSITES

Nabile Hassine; Zakaria  Dahra; Suliman Hwaadie

doi:10.66411/jer.v14i.221

Authors

Nabile Hassine Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Fateh University Author
Zakaria Dahra Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Fateh University Author
Suliman Hwaadie Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Fateh University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66411/jer.v14i.221

Keywords:

Nanocrystalline, Polymeric materials, Zirconium oxide, Zirconia, High density polyethylene, Nanocomposities

Abstract

Addition of nanocrystalline inorganic fillers to polymeric materials represent a new class of materials which combine the properties of inorganic particles (mechanical strength, modulus, thermal stability) with ease of processing and the flexibility of the organic polymer matrix. This has prompted the present work which involved blending nanocrystalline zirconium oxide, zirconia, powder of an overall average particle size of about 28 nm with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and then hot pressed at 170^。C for 3 minutes to produce composite sheets. The weight percentage of nanozirconiain the composite was varied from 0 to 12%. The composite sheets were subjected to tensile testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess the degree of dispersion of nanozirconia particles within the polymer matrix.

The results obtained showed that the maximum tensile strength decreased with an increase in the nanozirconia content. This may be due to a consequent increase in free volume and lowering of the interaction between the polymer molecules.

SEM investigation showed the nanozirconia particles to be dispersed within the polyethylene matrix to a fairly good extent for the composite specimen containing 12 % nanozirconia

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