Preparation and Some Properties of Polyethylene/vermiculite Nanocomposites

The high aspect ratio of layered silicate nanoparticles is very convenient to modify the properties of the polymer, but the hydrophilic nature of silicate surfaces impedes their homogeneous dispersion in the organic polymer phase. The hydrophilic clay minerals are commonly treated with ammonium cations with long alkyl chains to improve the compatibility between the silicate layers and the polymer matrix. In this study, clay mineral vermiculite (V) was used as a clay nanofiller to the polyethylene (PE) and the functional and mechanical properties of PE/V nanocomposite plates were characterized. Vermiculite has been modified to the role of nanofiller with organic dodecylamine (DA) compounds in various concentrations. Exfoliation of modified vermiculite nanofiller in PE was studied on the nanocomposite plates using X-ray diffraction analysis. The quality of nanofiller distribution in polymer matrix was observed using light microscopy. Changes in mechanical properties of the PE/VDA nanocomposites in comparison with the pure PE were studied on the data from the Creep measurements. The antibacterial activity of the surfaces of composite plates was tested on the Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis.