Characterization and Properties of PVC/Talc composites

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of talc (TC) on the properties of a polychloride vinyl (PVC) polymer used in the fabrication of electrical cable sheath. The resulted blend, based on TC and PVC polymer was prepared by dry blending followed by melt calendering. The results obtained showed a clear improvement of the blend mechanical properties (tensile strength, shore A hardness and elongation at break) when the amount of the talc was 1 wt. %. The thermal stability (deshydrochloration or Beilstein test) is maximal wh e n t he c o n cen t r at i on of t he talc was equal to 1 wt. %. A morphological analysis (optical microscopy) revealed that for 1 wt. %. of talc concentration there is a uniform distribution of talc particles inside PVC matrix. Moreover, water absorption did not exceed 0.15 wt % for all studied talc concentrations.