Preparation and characterization of polyethylene-based hybrid particles by an environmentally-friendly and aqueous solvent evaporation method

The present paper reports preparation procedure and characterization of micrometer-sized polyethylene (PE)-based hybrid particles containing various amounts of Mg(OH)2 powder treated with different amounts of methylhydrogen polysiloxane (MHS). The PE-based hybrid particles were fabricated by an environmentally-friendly and aqueous solvent evaporation method by employing different kinds of surfactants. The shape, microstructure and other properties of the resultant PE-based hybrid particles were dependent markedly on the changes in composition of raw materials, especially for the amount of MHS used for the treatment of Mg(OH)2 and the kind of surfactant. The particles fabricated by using 1 wt% MHS-treated Mg(OH)2 (ST-1) powder and polyoxyethylene (10) octylphenyl ether (Triton X-100) as a surfactant showed spherical shape and their primary particle sizes were about 4-10 μm, irrespective of the additive amount of ST-1 powder. These particles showed superior properties in terms of the actual content of MHS-treated Mg(OH)2 powder incorporated inside the hybrid particles, particle size distribution and particle shape, in comparison with other particles fabricated by using 5 wt% MHS-treated Mg(OH)2 (ST-5) powder and polyoxyethylene (8) octylphenyl ether (Triton X-114) as a surfactant. This is due to good affinity (average contact angle was 19.4°) between the ST-1 powder and the aqueous phase, i.e. a continuous phase, dissolving Triton X-100. Furthermore, a composite fabricated by employing these PE-based hybrid particles showed uniform and homogeneous distribution of ST-1 powder in the PE matrix.