Example 5
Three sets of samples were prepared with polyamide 12 from RTP. 10,000 cSt PDMS, 23 wt % polyamide 12 relative to the weight of PDMS and polyamide combined, 1 wt % AEROSIL® R812S silica nanoparticles relative to the weight of the polyamide, and optionally surfactant (wt % relative to the weight of the polyamide) were placed in a glass kettle reactor. The headspace was purged with argon and the reactor was maintained under positive argon pressure. The components were heated to over 220° C. over about 60 minutes with 300 rpm stirring. At temperature, the rpm was increased to 1250 rpm. The process was stopped after 90 minutes and allowed to cool to room temperature while stirring. The resultant mixture was filtered and washed with heptane. A portion of the resultant particles was screened (scr) through a 150-μm sieve. Table 3 includes the additional components of the mixture and properties of the resultant particles.
This example illustrates that the inclusion of surfactant and the composition of said surfactant can be another tool used to tailor the particle characteristics.
