Interparticle Interaction Effects in Polymer Suspensions

Viscosity functions of particle-filled polymer melts are shifted to higher values in com - parison with those of the unfilled polymer melts. This increase is affected by a number of factors such as the volume content, size, size distribution and the aspect ratio of the suspended particles. If interparticle interactions occur, which include the formation and breaking of agglomerates as well as the migration and rotation of particles during flow, the extent of the viscosity increase of suspensions also depends on the applied shear stress. Filler with a high aspect ratio, such as fibrous and plate-like particles, exhibits a strong tendency for interparticle interactions even at low volumetric concentrations. However, depending on the polymer matrix, spherical particles can exhibit a range of negligible interparticle interactions at low filler volume concentrations. Non-negligible interactions occur at higher filler concentrations. On the basis of the generalized interaction function , which considers the transition from negligibly interparticle interactions to the domain of non-negligibly interactions, the flow behavior of particle-filled polymer melts can be estimated. The subject of this chapter is the application of the generalized interaction function for the characterization of the flow behavior of particle-filled polyolefin melts.