Investigation of the Effect of EVA and Nanoclay on LDPE-LLDPE Packaging Film Properties- Part 2: Thermal and Optical Studies

This study, investigates the effects of addition of EVA and nanoclay on thermal and optical properties of traditional LDPE-LLDPE packaging films. A special film grade of LDPE was used which has optimized optical properties such as good haze and micro-gloss. Morphological studies (Such as SEM, TEM and XRD), mechanical properties (such as tensile properties and tear resistance) were investigated in part 1 of this article. In this part, thermal properties (such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and heat deflection temperature) and optical properties (haze/clarity and surface gloss) were investigate. The presence of silicate organoclay increased the mechanical properties of thePE nanocomposites but reduced their clarity. To eliminate this optical defect, blending EVA with LDPE-LLDPE base nanocomposite was carried out. DCS result also showed that in the presence of clay particles, degree of crystallinity increased and led to increment in haze percent. Our goal is to prepare LDPE/LLDPE nanocomposites with lower haze and higher gloss features which have acceptable thermal and mechanical properties for packaging applications