Investigation on the structure and thermal properties of HDPE/Ta₂O₅-based nanocomposites

This work reports on the influence of tantalum oxide nanoparticles on the structure and thermal properties of HDPE + Ta 2 O 5 based polymer nanocomposites prepared by ex-situ solution casting method. XRD analysis confirmed the orthorhombic structure of Ta 2 O 5 nanoparticles and an increase in the degree of crystallinity of HDPE/Ta 2 O 5 based nanocomposites after the introduction of Ta 2 O 5 into the HDPE matrix. SEM analysis showed that Ta 2 O 5 nanoparticles were distributed over the surface of the sample in a spherical shape. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of Ta –O-Ta stretching vibration bands at 557 cm −1 , 584 cm −1 , 599 cm −1 , 614 cm −1 and Ta-O bands at 824 cm −1 , 828 cm −1 for HDPE/3-7 wt%Ta 2 O 5 nanocomposites. The results indicate that small amounts of Ta 2 O 5 nanoparticles (3–7 wt.%) introduced into HDPE act as nucleating agents, which enhance the thermal properties of the HDPE/Ta 2 O 5 nanocomposite. Additionally, the properties of the polymer nanocomposite are influenced by both the structural changes in the polymer matrix and the interactions at the nanoparticle-polymer interface.