An Investigation of the Properties of Nanocomposites Based on a Mixture of High and Low Pressure Polyethylene with Nickel-Containing Nanofillers

Composite materials based on a mixture of high-density and low-density polyethylenes, including additives of fine nickel oxide, were investigated using X-ray phase analysis (XPA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An improvement in the strength, deformation properties, and thermo-oxidative stability of the composites was revealed upon the introduction of fine nickel oxide, which is apparently associated with the formation of interfacial bonds between the nickel-containing nanoparticles and the components of the polymer composition. It was shown that nanocomposites based on a mixture of high-density and low-density polyethylenes, including additives of fine nickel oxide, can be processed by both pressing and methods of injection molding and extrusion, thereby expanding their fields of application. Small amounts of the nanofiller introduced into the polymer act as structure-forming agents, that is, artificial crystallization nuclei, which contributes to the formation of a fine spherulitic structure in the polymer, as characterized by the improved physical–mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting nanocomposite.