Effect of graphene oxide as a filler material on the mechanical properties of LLDPE nanocomposites

Graphene oxide (GO) has high aspect ratios than many nanosize fillers such as carbon nanotubes and clay, besides its better mechanical properties than many polymers; so they are preferred as a filler material in polymer matrix composites. In this study, the effect of GO on the mechanical properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) were experimentally investigated. LLDPE-GO nanocomposites were prepared by melt compounding method, and the extruded nanocomposite was shaped by injection molding machine for the mechanical tests. The mechanical properties investigated included tensile properties, fatigue properties, as well as hardness properties. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was employed to study the thermal characterization of the composites. The results revealed that the addition of GO nanosheets indeed had a positive effect on the tensile, fatigue, and hardness properties. The tensile strength, Young's modulus, and Shore D hardness value were increased by 27.4%, 31.3%, and 9%, respectively, with a GO loading ranging from 0 wt.% to 2 wt.%. The addition of GO had a significant effect on the fatigue properties of the composites such as nearly exponential increment in the cyclic numbers. The samples with 2 wt.% of GO could endure up to 10⁶ cycles during the tests, which is 100 times that of pure LLDPE. The morphological analysis via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that GO nanosheets were well exfoliated in the LLDPE matrix. However, there is no significant effect on the melting temperature, crystallization temperature and crystallinity of LLDPE based on DSC result.