Effect of Nitrate Acid Treated Dolomite on the Tensile Properties of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Composites

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) polymers have been used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility, durability, toughness and high wear resistance. To enhance the mechanical properties, various types of minerals are commonly utilized as fillers in UHMWPE. One of the minerals is dolomite, which has been recognized as a valuable mineral with versatile applications, particularly in the field of biomedical applications. This paper presents the tensile properties of UHMWPE composites that filled with dolomite and treated-dolomite at various filler loading (i.e., 1-5 wt.%). Nitric acid and diammonium phosphate were used to treat the dolomite. From the results, the peaks of the FTIR spectrum displays carbonate (CO3-2), phosphate (PO4-3) and hydroxyl (OH-) groups in the ct-dolomite powder sample while the XRD pattern reveals that using dolomite treated with 1M nitric acid resulted in the presence of calcium hydroxide phosphate (Ca10(PO4)5(OH)) and MgO. For tensile strength, UHMWPE/ct-dolomite composites show better tensile strength than the pure UHMWPE composites. Treated improve the dolomite filler and resulted in significantly better matrix-filler interfacial interactions and improve the properties.

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The authors of the present work wish to acknowledge the funding by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (Grant no.: FRGS/1/2019/TK05/ UNIMAP/02/8) sponsored by Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). Special thanks to those who contributed to this project directly or indirectly.