low density polyethylene based micro/nanocomposites: feasibility of calendering process

Fabrication of thin thermoplastic sheets filled with nano-reinforcements might be challenging due mainly to dispersion of fillers. the issue is more highlighted in case of polymer melt blending processes. this study assesses the feasibility and fabrication of carbon black (cb) and graphite nanoplatelets (gnp) loaded low density polyethylene (ldpe) using calendering technique. to achieve the optimized results, a processing window was achieved and proposed. the results indicated the successful fabrication of ldpe sheets exhibiting enhanced tensile properties of the fabricated micro and nanocomposites. excellent filler phase distribution in the case of nanometric gnps resulted in smoother surface of sheets compared to the cb reinforced composites.