Authors: R. S. Umamaheshwar Rao, Â Dr. G. Chandra Mohan Reddy
Abstract:
Polymer based composite materials are being used extensively for the development of a wide spectrum of products. The demands for many applications need a set of properties that cannot be full fill by single polymer. One of the methods to satisfy these demands is to mix two or more polymers. The compounds so formed are generally known as polymer blends. Polymer blending has by now emerged as a well-established route to synthesize specialized polymer systems. Well known examples of blends include impact modified and toughened polymers, where polymers with different glass transition temperatures are combined. Many blends are used in the industries, where specific polar or non-polar polymers are mixed in order to increase the resistance against the transport of water vapour and gases. In the present paper mechanical properties of the nano particle reinforced phenol formaldehyde (PF) composites are studied, for which water soluble phenol formaldehyde composites (PFC) are prepared by solvent casting technique, with varying chitin loading percentage. To optimize the chitin loading, on the bases of its mechanical properties, chitin whisker loaded samples were studied. Nano Chitin particle loaded Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) composites were prepared, varying from 0 to 1.5 % nano chitin by weight, in a variation of 0.5% chitin in the composite. The study showed that the nano chitin loaded PF with 0.5% chitin nano particles have the highest tensile strength and the percentage elongation for the same sample were high. Hence the optimum percentage loading for the composites were decided to be for those having 0.5% chitin loading.
Keywords: Chitin, Nano composites, Tensile Strength, Maximum force, Elongation at Break.
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