Poly (Ethylene-Co-Vinyl Acetate)/ Magnetite Nanocomposites: Interaction of Some Liquid Fuels, Thermal and Oil Resistance Studies

Nanocomposites of poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) with magnetite (Fe ₃ O ₄ ) particles were prepared in a laboratory size two roll mixing mill. The extent of interaction of nanoparticles in EVA was studied by X- ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). XRD patterns showed that the nanoparticles enhanced the crystalline nature of the polymer. Composite with 7 parts per hundred (phr) of Fe ₃ O ₄ showed the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in the EVA phase. The TGA result showed that the decomposition temperature of EVA/ Fe ₃ O ₄ nanocomposites was much higher than the decomposition rate of pure EVA. Petrol, diesel and kerosene sorption by nanocomposites in the temperatures range of 28 to 50 °C have been investigated. The minimum solvent uptake was obtained for the composite with 7 phr of filler and the value increased with increase in concentration of nanoparticles was due to the aggregation of nanoparticles at higher loading. Diesel showed the lowest interaction with composites compared to petrol and kerosene. It was found that the temperature activates the diffusion and the activation parameters were calculated. The oil resistance properties of the nanocomposite were higher than that of EVA and resistance to oil increased with increase in concentration of nanoparticles.