Development of UHMW-PE/LLDPE BLEND-BASED carbon nanotube nanocomposite for high impact applications

Abstract

The development of lighter and more resistant advanced materials for high impact application as ballistic protection on automotive, aircraft and personal protection is of great interest for defense and public safety. The enhancement of ballistic protection becomes increasingly necessary due to the technological advancement of conventional armaments, failures and release of fragments at high speed. There is no sector dedicated to produce high impact materials for ballistic protection in the Brazilian defense industry, however there is a large demand of these materials that is met by imports. The most commonly materials used for high impact applications in ballistic protection are steel and aluminum. Composites materials and high performance polymers like ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) can also be used and Brazil is one of the few manufacturers of the UHMW-PE in the world. The objective of this research project is the development of UHMW-PE/LLDPE blends-based nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes for high impact applications. The study is based on the processability of the nanocomposites using different methods and equipments to obtain materials with better distribution of the nanofiller in the polymeric matrix, promoting improvements in the thermal and mechanical properties. (AU)