Abstract

This work is an attempt to improve the thermal and nanoindentation behaviours of recycled Glass-Filled Polyamide-12 (GF-12) by adding layered Silicate (Nanoclay) as a reinforced filler. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Nanoindentation tests were conducted to study the effect of various loading levels (0-7 wt. %) of Nano-layered silicate on the thermal and nanohardness behaviours of GF-12 and its nanocomposites. Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) was employed to characterise the nanostructure of material and determine the intercalation/exfoliation for layered silicate in a GF-12 matrix. This study reveals that the layer silicate has a positive effect on the hardness results. Nanoindentation results showed remarkable improvement when layered silicate was added to recycled GF-12. The Glass transition (T_g) and crystallization (T_c) temperatures showed a slight improvement over the base polymer by the incorporation of layered silicate. Moreover, the enhancement of crystallization was obvious with the addition of clay loading, which functioned as a nucleating agent that could increase the rate of crystallization.

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