Improved Lead-Free Wire and Cable Insulation Performance Using Nanocomposites. 2006

TURI Technical Report No. 58. The goal of this project is the production of high-performance, low-cost lead-free PVC compounds for wire and cable insulation, to address the serious environmental issues surrounding the use of their leaded counterparts and the lack of market acceptance of current alternatives to PVC. Clay nanocomposite technology has been chosen as a means to achieve this goal, as it has been demonstrated that such systems can improve a variety of properties relevant to the performance of wire and cable insulation (thermal stability, barrier properties, flame retardance, etc.). Here we report on the characterization of transparent, lead-free PVC nanocomposites produced by melt blending with organoclay loadings of 2, 5, and 10 wt%. Structural studies carried out via x-ray diffraction indicate significant intercalation as well as orientation of the clay sheets in the flow direction. From MOCON testing, nanocomposites with 2 wt% clay showed a five-fold increase in oxygen barrier. While a substantial improvement in thermal stability was not observed in TGA experiments, the greatly improved oxygen barrier properties may nevertheless enhance thermal stability in real-world settings. From mechanical properties testing, the modulus of the PVC/nanocomposite was found to increase with clay content; nevertheless, 2 wt% was found to be the optimal loading level due to the degradation of ultimate properties with higher clay content.

File Name: Schmidt 2006 final report.pdf
File Size: 579.60 kB
Note: This file can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader

File Synopsis: The addition of small amounts of organically modified montmorillonite nanosized particles can improve the mechanical and thermal stability performance of non-lead stabilized PVC wire and cable coating resins. Download file...