Abstract:
The equilibrium torque of PVC(polyvinyl chloride) composite decreased with the CaCO_3 addition;a greater reduction was noted when CaCO_3 particles of larger size were employed.SEM(scanning electron microscopy) photographs showed that the particles were well dispersed in PVC matrix and that the "silk network" structure of the fracture surface existed only in composites containing nanoparticles.Such a microstructure was the mechanism for the improved toughness of CaCO_3/PVC composites.Relative to the base PVC,the tensile strength of the composites decreased,and greater reductions were observed when larger CaCO_3 particles were employed.The observed matrix-filler interactions were well correlated by the TPT equation using a proper value for the semi-empirical B parameter.