Comparison of the effects of nano date seed as reinforcement material for medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using multilevel factorial design

Abstract

In the last few decades, there has been an increasing demand for low-cost raw materials and environmentally eco-friendly end products. This demand stimulated a growing interest in natural particles as potential reinforcement materials for composite manufacturing. In this paper, we introduce organic date-seed nanofillers (DSN) as reinforcement materials for the development of enhanced polymer nanocomposites. We particularly investigate the effect of these nanoparticles on two types of polymer base materials, namely medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A collection of MDPE and PET nanocomposite samples with DSN content ranging from 0.0–0.75 wt% has been prepared using a hot compression method. The MDPE-DSN and PET-DSN nanocomposite structures were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The mechanical characteristics of these nanocomposites were experimentally examined through wear loss and Vickers micro-hardness tests. The experimental results show that the MDPE-DSN composite is chemically more stable than the PET-DSN one. Moreover, the MDPE-DSN nanocomposite shows enhanced hardness and wear resistance properties, while the PET-DSN one shows less noticeable enhancements. The best enhancements were obtained with a DSN reinforcement of 0.75 wt%., and a normal load of 10 N. As well, the experimental outcomes show a good agreement with theoretical predictions. In general, the DSN material enhances the mechanical properties of polymer materials and reduces their economic costs.