Influence of the Thickness of a Polymer Shell Applied to Surfaces of Submicron Filler Particles on the Properties of Polymer Compositions

Abstract

© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. The results of studies into the influence of the thickness of a polystyrene shell applied to surfaces of dispersed corundum (Al2O3) filler particles on the structure and mechanical properties of the composition of an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic are presented. It is shown that the mechanical properties of the composition depend at least on two factors: the interaction between shell molecules and the polymer matrix, and the ratio of shell thickness to the average size of submicron particles of the filler. The change in the mechanical properties of the composition is explained by the decreasing mobility of polymer macromolecules near the encapsulated filler particles due to the increasing adhesion of macromolecules to the polymer shell. It was shown experimentally that the Martens hardness, elastic modulus, tensile strength, and rupture strain can be changed in some range by varying the thickness of the polymer shell on the surfaces of corundum particles.