Investigation on the structure and thermal properties of HDPE/Ta ₂ O ₅ -based nanocomposites

This work reports on the influence of tantalum oxide nanoparticles on the structure and thermal properties of HDPE + Ta ₂ O ₅ based polymer nanocomposites prepared by ex-situ solution casting method. XRD analysis confirmed the orthorhombic structure of Ta ₂ O ₅ nanoparticles and an increase in the degree of crystallinity of HDPE/Ta ₂ O ₅ based nanocomposites after the introduction of Ta ₂ O ₅ into the HDPE matrix. SEM analysis showed that Ta ₂ O ₅ nanoparticles were distributed over the surface of the sample in a spherical shape. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of Ta –O-Ta stretching vibration bands at 557 cm ⁻¹ , 584 cm ⁻¹ , 599 cm ⁻¹ , 614 cm ⁻¹ and Ta-O bands at 824 cm ⁻¹ , 828 cm ⁻¹ for HDPE/3-7 wt%Ta ₂ O ₅ nanocomposites. The results indicate that small amounts of Ta ₂ O ₅ nanoparticles (3–7 wt.%) introduced into HDPE act as nucleating agents, which enhance the thermal properties of the HDPE/Ta ₂ O ₅ nanocomposite. Additionally, the properties of the polymer nanocomposite are influenced by both the structural changes in the polymer matrix and the interactions at the nanoparticle-polymer interface.