New Alternative to Produce Colored Polymer Nanocomposites: Organophilic Ni/Al and Co/Al Layered Double Hydroxide as Fillers into Low-Density Polyethylene

Green (Ni2+/Al+3) and pink (Co2+/Al+3) layered double hydroxides (LDH) (molar ratio of 3:1) were intercalated with several organic anions and used as functional colored fillers into low density polyethylene (LDPE) by melt mixing in amounts of 0.2 to 7 wt.%. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) results of LDPE nanocomposites indicated that with low percentage of filler, all the LDH samples showed efficient delamination/exfoliation in the polymer matrix. Fillers added to LDPE with concentrations of 0.2, 0.5, 2 and 5% presented, in general, maintenance of Young's modulus and tensile strength, tending to the reduction with a loading of 7%. Most of the nanocomposites presented similar elongations, although NiUS stood out, with an elongation increase of 300%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated the effect of the Co/Al-LDH in inducing the formation of LDPE crystalline domains, especially at higher temperature than neat LDPE.