The influence of epitaxial crystallization on the mechanical properties of a high density polyethylene/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite injection bar

Abstract

High density polyethylene (HDPE)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposite bars were prepared by injection molding and the effects of RGO on the HDPE matrix were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry results demonstrated that RGO was an effective nucleation agent for HDPE. Two dimensional wide angle X-ray diffraction (2D WAXD) results showed that the incorporation of RGO enhanced the degree of orientation of HDPE crystals in the flow direction but had no influence on the crystal structure of HDPE. Two dimensional small angle X-ray scattering (2D SAXS) results confirmed that the orientation of HDPE chains in the flow direction was enhanced with the increase of RGO content, which was attributed to the fact that RGO obstructed the motion of polymer chains. These results indicated that the incorporation of RGO can enhance the crystallization and orientation of the HDPE matrix, resulting in the improvement of mechanical properties.