Nanocomposites based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and linear medium density polyethylene (LMDPE) were prepared by rotational molding. In particular, a simple dry‐blending process was used to add different CNF contents (0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 wt%). To improve the fiber‐matrix adhesion, the CNF were treated by an oxygen cold plasma and the level of surface modification was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). From the samples produced a complete set of morphological, mechanical, rheological, and thermal characterization was performed. By following the internal air temperature while rotomolding, it was possible to detect the LMDPE melting and crystallization temperature and the values were confirmed by DSC. On the other hand, the XPS results show that the plasma treatment increased the CNF oxygen content and possibly the surface roughness. In general, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were improved by the addition of low CNF content: impact strength (30%), tensile modulus (20%), tensile strength (8%), elongation at break (35%), and toughness (70%).

中文翻译：

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旋转模塑生产的聚乙烯/碳纳米纤维复合材料的机械和热性能

通过旋转成型制备了基于碳纳米纤维（CNF）和线性中密度聚乙烯（LMDPE）的纳米复合材料。特别是，使用简单的干混工艺添加了不同的CNF含量（0、0.01、0.1和1.0 wt％）。为了提高纤维与基质的粘合力，用氧冷等离子体处理CNF，并通过差示扫描量热法（DSC）和X射线光电子能谱（XPS）分析表面改性程度。从样品中产生了完整的形态，机械，流变和热学表征。通过在滚塑时跟踪内部空气温度，可以检测LMDPE的熔融和结晶温度，并通过DSC确认该值。另一方面，XPS结果表明，等离子体处理增加了CNF的氧含量，并可能增加了表面粗糙度。通常，通过添加低的CNF含量可以改善纳米复合材料的机械性能：冲击强度（30％），拉伸模量（20％），拉伸强度（8％），断裂伸长率（35％）和韧性（70％）。