The comparison of the behaviors of polymer/clay nanocomposites based on high density polyethylene and polypropylene in exposure of electron‐irradiation

Abstract The effect of irradiation on thermal and mechanical properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP)/clay nanocomposites in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) for enhancing the clay dispersion into the polymer matrices is considered. The morphology studies show that clay layers satisfactorily expand in the presence of compatibilizers. The irradiation improves the mechanical properties of HDPE nanocomposites at 500 kGy, but it decreases the tensile strength of PP nanocomposites. The addition of PEG markedly ameliorates the mechanical properties of HDPE nanocomposites at 500 kGy, while this improvement is not deduced for PP nanocomposites. The thermogravimetric analysis data show that the irradiation increases the thermal stability of HDPE nanocomposites at the clay content of 5 wt% with and without compatibilizer. The thermal stability of PP nanocomposites descends with the irradiation dose, and the presence of PPG into the PP matrix intensifies this reduction. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers