NANOSYSTEMS: PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATHEMATICS, 2015, 6 (4), P. 570–582
Dielectric relaxation of fulleroid materials filled PA6 composites and the study of its mechanical performance
Alex N. Sinitsin – ITMO University, Kronverkskiy pr., 49, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia; lyubomirov85@mail.ru
Vjacheslav V. Zuev – ITMO University, Kronverkskiy pr., 49, 197101; Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Bolshoi pr. 31, 199004 St. Petersburg, Russia; zuev@hq.macro.ru
The effect of fulleroid materials (fullerene C60 and fullerene soot which is used for fullerenes production) on the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites based on polyamide 6 (PA6) was investigated. Composites were synthesized by direct mixing in an extruder. Dielectric spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of nanoparticles on relaxation processes in the polymer matrix. It is found that the segmental relaxation processes becomes faster with the addition of fullerene C60. In contrast, the secondary processes of PA6/fullerene C60 nanocomposites were observed to slow down with the addition of fullerene C60. This means that the local ‘molecular stiffness’ is increased, and a phenomenological link between the secondary relaxation times and the mechanical properties explains the increase in the Young’s modulus of the nanocomposites upon the addition of C60. These observations suggest that nanoparticles can have a qualitatively different effect on the matrix polymer dynamics at different length scales, and caution must be taken in comparing the changes in the dynamics associated with different relaxation processes.
Keywords: composites; manufacturing; mechanical properties; fullerene C60; fullerene soot: dielectric spectroscopy.
PACS 81.07.Lb
DOI 10.17586/2220-8054-2015-6-4-570-582