Modeling and prediction of tensile modulus and oxygen permeation properties of polyethylene – layered silicate nanocomposites: Factorial and mixture designs

Modeling and prediction of the oxygen barrier and tensile modulus properties of polyethylene nanocomposites through factorial and mixture design methods has been studied. The factorial design was based on factors such as volume fraction of silicate filler, cation exchange capacity of the filler, and number of octadecyl chains in the chemical structure of the filler surface modification. The mixture design had components as polymer matrix, organic modification, and inorganic filler. The case of compatibilized polyethylene nanocomposites was also studied where the components included polymer, organically modified filler, and the compatibilizer. The generated models accurately predicted the properties of nanocomposites as the model equations were validated by the comparison of the predicted values with the experimental results. These models represent an accurate alternative to the conventional modeling methods where a number of assumptions hinder the true representation of the nanocomposite morphology in the model. Moreover, the factorial and mixture models are also straightforward to be modified in order to accommodate any changes in the system. The surface and contour plots could also be generated from the model equations, which pictorially represent the modeling space in which optimization of the nanocomposite properties can be achieved with higher confidence levels.