Effect of Nano-Refractory Bricks on the Morphological and Thermal Properties of PVC/LDPE Polymer Blend

In this study, the morphological and thermal properties of a blend consisting of 75% polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and 25% low-density polyethylene (LDPE), reinforced with nano-refractory bricks (NRB) at varying ratios (1%, 3%, 5%, and 7%), were prepared and investigated. The objective was to enhance the blend’s thermal stability and surface structure homogeneity. The morphological structure of the prepared samples was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The obtained images revealed that the nano-refractory brick particles remained predominantly within the PVC phase, resulting in an increased composite density without significantly affecting the LDPE phase. This suggests that the overall morphology of the composite is largely unaffected by the presence of the nano-refractory bricks. From a thermal perspective, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) was conducted on all samples from room temperature up to 600 °C at a heating rate of 10 °C/min. FTIR and TGA results indicated that the decomposition onset temperature shifted to higher values due to the presence of nano-refractory bricks, with the most pronounced shift observed in the sample containing 3% reinforcement. Additionally, the rate of mass loss was reduced. These findings demonstrate that reinforcing the PVC/LDPE blend with nano-refractory bricks improves its performance, making it more suitable for applications that demand enhanced thermal and mechanical properties, such as those in the construction and electronics industries.