Abstract: The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of a grafted coupling agent in typical EVA/LLDPE based blends as cable compounds containing mineral filler acting as a flame-retardant. Therefore, blends (50:50 phr) containing magnesium-di-hydroxide (MDH) were compounded and parts of the LLDPE substituted with MAA-g-LLDPE coupling agent. Compatibility of the coupling agent was observed in DSC thermal analysis. A strong influence of different filler ratios (0 – 60 %) was detected in rheological investigations. Morphological studies revealed significant differences in blend morphology and filler location caused by phase transition which is close to the 50:50 composition. The coupling agent improved the compatibility of the blend in that a reduced phase size could be observed. The addition of the coupling agent relocated the mineral filler from being mainly located in the EVA phase into the interphase and created a connection between both polymeric phases which resulted in improved thermo-mechanical performance.
About the Presenter: Dr. Michael Heinz is leading the Process Development Team of the Global Materials Group at the Corning Technology Center Berlin.
After working as a development engineer for copper cables for 3 years, he joined Corning in 2014 as a development engineer with focus on materials science. The major scope of his work is the development of flame-retardant fiber optic cables, materials and processing methodology. Special focus lies on flame retardant cables and halogen free flame-retardant compound development and testing.
Dr. Michael Heinz earned a degree in Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Bayreuth in 2011, where he also received his PhD in 2022. He has over 14 years of experience in polymer materials development, processing and testing, including 11 years in wire and cable industry.
