The Effect of Colemanite on Thermal Properties of Recycled Polyethylene

Abstract

Boron is known as a rare and one of the most important elements for future engineering. Boron is naturally present in nature in the form of minerals, such as tincal, ulexite, colemanite, boracite, datolite and so on. Besides of the healthy benefits, it has numerous application area from agricultural applications to space technology. The boron derived chemicals, such as borones, borates, borohydrides, boronic acids and other boron compounds, are applied from nano-to macroscale. In this study, usage of boron mineral was investigated as a raw material in colemanite form without any chemical treatment. For this purpose polyethylene-colemanite composites were produced and characterized thermally. Polyethylene was used as a binder and colemanite as a matrix material. Used materials were characterized before process via the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Thermomechanical analysis and limiting oxygen index tests were also performed in order to determine the thermal and inflammability properties of the composite. The results show that colemanite play an ultimate role in composites for flammable properties and mechanical performance. These properties can be controlled by proper adjustments of the amount of colemanite in the composite.