Thermomechanical degradation of polyethylene/polyamide 6Â blend-clay nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites are gaining a growing interest both in the academia and in the industrial field, because of some specific properties they can assure. However, the rise in the attention from the industry is also leading to concerns about their processing, which can involve issues which are not present in traditional polymers processing; furthermore, additional issues can arise when nanocomposites are based on a polymer blend rather than a single polymer. In this work, a systematic study on thermomechanical degradation and reprocessing behaviour of LDPE/PA6/Cloisite 15A systems has been performed. The characterization was based on rheological, mechanical and morphological analysis. The investigation revealed a complex degradation behaviour, including the degradation phenomena involving the filler and those involving the two components of the polymer blend; furthermore, these phenomena are strongly dependent on the specific processing conditions.