TITLE:
Enhancement in the Electrical and Thermal Properties of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Co-Polymer by Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles
AUTHORS:
Jose Sebastian, Eby T. Thachil, Jobin Job Mathen, Joseph Madhavan, Prince Thomas, Jacob Philip, M. S. Jayalakshmy, Shahrom Mahmud, Ginson P. Joseph
KEYWORDS:
Composite Materials, Polymers, Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), Dielectric Properties
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Composite Materials,
Vol.5 No.3,
July
7,
2015
ABSTRACT: EVA/ZnO nanocomposites of 1%, 2% and 4% ZnO were fabricated by direct probe sonicator method.
The ZnO nanopowders were prepared by solvothermal method. As the particle size of the
filler incorporated to the polymer matrix decreases, the properties of the polymer-filler interface
show dominance over its bulk properties. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the composites
at ambient temperatures are found to decrease with increasing frequency. The thermal analysis
using TGA-DTA is also performed and it is found that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites
increases with increasing the filler concentrations. The thermal parameters such as thermal
diffusivity (α) and thermal effusivity (e), the thermal conductivity (k) and heat capacity (Cp) were
studied using photopyroelectric technique. The band gap of the samples was also determined and
found to decrease with increasing filler concentrations. The tensile strength and peel strength of
the samples were also investigated and it is found to increase with small inclusion of filler material.