Preparation and tensile testing of polyethylene-zeolite composites

Abstract EN

Addition of natural inorganic fillers to polymeric materials during processing is a common practice as it typically reduces the cost and improves certain properties of the material.

Hence, natural zeolite was blended with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and then pressed to produce composite sheets.

The sheets were prepared at different pressing temperatures ranging from 160 to 210 °C.

The weight ratio of zeolite in the composite was varied from 0 to 20 %.

The effects of processing temperature, zeolite powder particle size and zeolite weight ratio on the tensile properties of the composite sheets were investigated.

The results showed that the tensile properties were improved when zeolite was added up to the ratio of 6 %.