Nanocomposites Based on Disentangled Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene: Aspects and Specifics of Solid-State...

The stages of solid-state processing of nanocomposites, based on nascent disentangled ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (d-UHMWPE) reactor powders (RPs) and carbon nanoparticles (NPs) of various types, were meticulously investigated. The potential for optimizing the filler distribution through variation of the processing parameters, and the impact of the d-UHMWPE RP and nanofiller type on the electrical conductivity of the resulting composites were discussed. The specifics of the dependences of conductivity and tensile strength on the deformation ratio for the composites, oriented under homogeneous shear conditions, were investigated. The obtained results and the results on piezoresistivity and temperature dependency of conductivity in the oriented and compacted composites demonstrated the independence of the UHMWPE matrix orientational strengthening on the filling. The interchangeability of high-temperature uniaxial deformation and deformation under homogeneous conditions for orientational strengthening and electrical conductivity changes in the preliminary oriented composite samples was confirmed. The potential for simultaneously achieving high strength and conductivity in composite tapes and the possibility of directly processing d-UHMWPE RP and NPs mixtures into oriented composite tapes were demonstrated. The overall results suggest that the studied composites may serve as a viable model system for investigating the deformational behavior of conductive networks comprising NPs of varying types and contents.