Effect of Polyethylene Structure on the Properties of Carbon Nanotube/Polyethylene Composites.

The influence of polyethylene (PE) molecular structure on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/PE composites processing behavior and their thermal, rheological and electrical properties were investigated. Two different types of PE of almost the same viscosity were investigated; namely, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Nanocomposites filled with up to 10 wt.% MWCNT were prepared by the conventional melt-mixing method. The MWCNT exhibited better dispersion in HDPE than in LDPE. The crystallinity of the HDPE marginally increased with the addition of the MWCNT, while no significant influence of the MWCNT on the LDPE crystallinity was observed. The AC electrical conductivity of both the HDPE and LDPE nanocomposites were almost the same. Thus, we concluded that there is no significant effect of the PE structure on the formation of the MWCNT networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]