Ahmad Fauzi Asfa Amalia, Osman Azlin Fazlina, Alosime Eid M, Abdul Halim Khairul Anwar, Abdullah Mohd Aidil Adhha
Faculty of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Malaysia.
Biomedical and Nanotechnology Research Group, Center of Excellent Geopolymer and Green Technology (CEGeoTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Malaysia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Nov 21;25(23):12519. doi: 10.3390/ijms252312519.
Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (PEVAc) is a copolymer that consists of non-polar polyethylene (PE) and a polar polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) monomer. PEVAc has high elasticity and is resilient, making it suitable for a variety of applications. However, the tensile strength of this copolymer needs to be improved for specific applications that require enough strength to tolerate high external tension or stress. This study proposed the use of dual-functionalized dolomite nanoparticles (DF-DNPs) composed of polar and non-polar nano-dolomite (P-DNPs and NP-DNPs) as nanofillers to reinforce the PEVAc. PEVAc/DF-DNP film appears to have a more homogeneous mixture, which is better for forming an optimal nanocomposite material. It also exhibits the highest tensile strength (10.48 MPa), elongation at break (1175.73%), and tensile toughness (62.12 MPa), which are higher by increments of 46.8%, 9.4%, and 20.3%, respectively, as compared to the neat PEVAc. The result proved that using DF-DNPs as a nanofiller can improve the strength of PEVAc while maintaining its flexibility to avoid brittleness of the nanocomposite film. Furthermore, its thermal characteristics were also successfully enhanced. A biostability assessment showed that the use of DF-DNPs as nanofiller caused the PEVAc copolymer to achieve the best water resistance, as it only exhibited a 2.63% weight increase, the lowest reduction in tensile properties among the studied fillers, and the best retention in surface degradation upon 3-month exposure to the in vitro environment. These findings indicate that the DF-DNPs help in developing a homogeneous nanocomposite by interacting with PE and PVAc.
聚（乙烯 - 共 - 醋酸乙烯酯）（PEVAc）是一种由非极性聚乙烯（PE）和极性聚醋酸乙烯酯（PVAc）单体组成的共聚物。PEVAc具有高弹性和回弹性，使其适用于各种应用。然而，对于需要足够强度来承受高外部张力或应力的特定应用，这种共聚物的拉伸强度需要提高。本研究提出使用由极性和非极性纳米白云石（P - DNPs和NP - DNPs）组成的双功能化白云石纳米颗粒（DF - DNPs）作为纳米填料来增强PEVAc。PEVAc/DF - DNP薄膜似乎具有更均匀的混合物，这更有利于形成最佳的纳米复合材料。它还表现出最高的拉伸强度（10.48MPa）、断裂伸长率（1175.73%）和拉伸韧性（62.12MPa），与纯PEVAc相比，分别提高了46.8%、9.4%和20.3%。结果证明，使用DF - DNPs作为纳米填料可以提高PEVAc的强度，同时保持其柔韧性以避免纳米复合薄膜变脆。此外，其热性能也得到了成功增强。生物稳定性评估表明，使用DF - DNPs作为纳米填料使PEVAc共聚物具有最佳的耐水性，因为它在3个月的体外环境暴露后仅表现出2.63%的重量增加，在所研究的填料中拉伸性能下降最低，并且表面降解保留最佳。这些发现表明，DF - DNPs通过与PE和PVAc相互作用有助于开发均匀的纳米复合材料。
