Preparation and characterization of polymer composites by using silica as filler / Mohd Sabri Mohd Johan

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of filler on the physical and chemical properties of the HDPE / silica blend. The results showed the occurrence of minor interaction of polymer and powder which led to minor improvement on the mechanical properties of the blend. The most significant effect was the tensile properties whereby beyond the optimum limit of weight percentage silica loading, the tensile strength decreased. Other parameters such as the effective mixing and blending were found the main factors which affected the homogeneity of the blends which could affect the final properties. Therefore, silica particles need to be adhered to polyethylene matrix in order avoid internal stresses which could caused the weaknesses of the material.