Improvement of Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of Organo-Precipitated Calcium Carbonate Filled LLDPE/Cyclic Natural Rubber Composites

Ahmad Hafizullah Ritonga (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia Department of Chemistry, University of Sari Mutiara Indonesia, Medan 20123, North Sumatera, Indonesia)
Novesar Jamarun (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia)
Syukri Arief (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia)
Hermansyah Aziz (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia)
Denny Akbar Tanjung (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia Department of Agrotechnology, University of Medan Area, Medan 20223, North Sumatera, Indonesia)
Boy Isfa (Department of Chemistry, University of Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang 25163, West Sumatera, Indonesia)

Indonesian Journal of Chemistry
Vol 22, No 1 (2022)

This study investigates the improvement of the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)/cyclic natural rubber (CNR) after the addition of organo-precipitated calcium carbonate (O-PCC). The impact on the properties of the LLDPE/CNR/LLDPE-g-OA/O-PCC composites was investigated by a series of empirical experiments. First, the polymer composite was blended in the molten state using an internal mixer with a heating temperature of 160 °C and a rotation speed of 100 rpm. The LLDPE was placed in a chamber of internal mixer until melted, followed by CNR, LLDPE-g-OA, and O-PCC. The polymer composites with an O-PCC concentration of 5% obtained the optimal mechanical properties compared to other variations, with a tensile strength of 17.17 MPa and Young's modulus of 252.68 MPa. The presence of O-PCC resulted in better thermal stability and a change in the melting point temperature of 124 °C. The FTIR spectra of the polymer composite showed the specific characteristics of O-PCC at 872.1 cm–1. The morphology of the polymer composite indicates that the O-PCC is evenly dispersed in the polymer composite.