Characterization of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/carbon black (CB) nanocomposite-based packaging material

Abstract

Carbon black (CB) has the ability to be used as a filler to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of the packaging material. This study aimed to determine the effect of CB composition variations as a filler on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposite to physical properties, mechanical properties, and thermal properties. The fabrication of LDPE/CB nanocomposite-based packaging material was performed by hot press and cold press method with LDPE/CB composition variations of 95: 5, 90:10, 85:15 and 80:20 %wt. The effects of CB as filler on LDPE thermoplastic were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, UTM, and TGA. The result of IR spectra analysis showed that the interaction between LDPE and CB in the solution was limited to physical bonds, the analysis using XRD generally follows the LDPE diffraction pattern. The most optimum composition result obtained from the variation of 5%wt CB, where the surface morphology using SEM of it tends to agglomerate, the mechanical analysis using UTM showed a tensile strength of 21.45 MPa, elongation at 436.21 mm, and modulus young 246.22 MPa, and thermal analysis using TGA showed changes mass at a decomposition temperature of 488.70 °C.