Dresden 2006 – scientific programme

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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 9: SYMPOSIUM Disperse Polymer Systems II

CPP 9.9: Talk

Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 16:45–17:00, ZEU 160

In-line monitoring of dispersion of nanofillers in polymer melts by optical spectroscopy — •Bernd Steinhoff and Ingo Alig — Deutsches Kunststoff-Institut Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstr. 6, D-64289 Darmstadt, Germany

For polymers a pronounced enhancement of material properties such as toughness, thermal stability or permeability can be obtained by adding small amounts of nanosized fillers. For the improvement of such properties a nanoscale dispersion within the polymer matrix is crucial. For effective processing reliable and rapid process control is therefore essential. Optical spectra of dispersions exhibit in addition to the absorption bands a contribution from light scattering. Since light scattering is sensitive to optical heterogeneities, morphological information can be obtained from that scattering background. Based on this consideration optical spectroscopy has been tested for in-line control of the degree of dispersion of nanofillers in polymer melts during extrusion. The melt were extruded through a slit die equipped with UV/VIS and NIR transmission probes. The degree of dispersion was varied by changing the mixing conditions (e.g. direct melt mixing or dilution of a masterbatch) and the amount of a compatibilizer. Due to electron microscopy and x-ray analysis it has turned out that from the scattering background the average size of the dispersed particles can be extracted.