Effects of silver nanoparticles on the thermal properties of polyethylene matrix nanocomposites.

In the current research, silver (Ag) nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction method and polyethylene-silver nanocomposites containing different Ag contents (0-30 mass%) were fabricated by mechanical milling method. All samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Thermal behavior of these nanocomposites was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis. The results of the DSC tests showed that although the melting temperature ( T ) of PE and its nanocomposites has the same value, the crystallization temperature ( T ) increases by addition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the PE matrix, indicating that the Ag NPs act as nucleation sites. Also, crystallinity index of PE and its nanocomposites was calculated. Results show that the crystallization index changes from 45.74 to 57.36% as Ag NPs content increases from 0 to 30%. The mass loss of nanocomposites was lower than that of the pure PE, which could be attributed to the undecomposed Ag NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]