ANALYSIS OF DISPERSION OF CARBON-BLACK IN POLYMERIC MELTS AND ITS EFFECT ON COMPOUND PROPERTIES

The dispersion of carbon black agglomerates within melts of polystyrene and high density polyethylene has been investigated. Analysis of the evolution of the fragment size distribution indicates that a coarse rupturing of the agglomerates occurs during the early stages of the dispersion. This is followed by a more gradual erosion of small aggregates from larger fragments. These observations compare quantitatively with results of dispersion studies performed in fluid media having a viscosity two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the polymeric melts. The influence of dispersion quality on certain physical properties of the resulting polymeric compounds, namely UV absorption characteristics and tensile strength properties. is also quantified.