ABSTRACT
Yellow zirconium silicate is a promising substitute for cadmium pigments used in plastics. However, the incorporation of zircon pigment in HDPE without loss of impact strength is required. By introducing the untreated pigment in the polymer, the impact strength reduces to 60% of the value for the unfilled polymer. Different types of silane coupling agents were used to regain the impact strength of the composite. Octadecyl-silane acted as a wetting agent rather than as a coupling agent. The impact strength hardly improved. A vinyl functional and a methacryloxy functional silane improved the impact strength to 70% relative to the unfilled polymer. The physically bonded, interdiffused network formed by silane and polymer improves the impact strength by the flexible nature of the interphase. An azidosilane improved the impact strength only to 73%: the interphase bonded covalently to the polymer as well as to the filler, in that way improving the impact strength, but behaving as a brittle system. A relatively thick, flexible interphase bonded covalently to filler and polymer was created. This interphase improved the impact strength to the value of the unfilled polymer.
