Improvement in water absorption property of Polyamide 6 (PA6) composites reinforced with borosilicate (BS)

Though polymer composites are durable promising materials, their hydrophilicity is a genuine matter of concern in applications. However, the siloxane group in borosilicate structure is hydrophobic in nature, to better understand the impact of aggregation of different concentrations of borosilicate on the morphological, thermal and mechanical properties of PA6 thermoplastic composites for upcoming industrial applications, the current study focuses on the preparation and characterization of PA6/borosilicate composites. The interface between filler and matrix has a key effect on the composite properties, hence, the interface was analysed using theoretical calculation, which revealed an acceptable level of interfacial contact in the composites. The nucleating proficiency of borosilicate has been indicated by thermal analysis, which has suggested an increase in the commencement nucleation temperature and percent crystallinity. SEM analysis of the fracture surface revealed that an increase in filler content altered the micromechanical deformation process and, in comparison, improved the composite's hydrophobicity property.