Effect of coal ash on the morphological, thermal and mechanical properties of poly(Methyl methacrylate)

Composite materials of Coal ash/Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (ash/PMMA) were prepared/synthesized and their properties were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and universal testing machine (UTM). The morphological study presented that the ash particles were well dispersed and embedded within the PMMA matrix. The DSC thermograms showed that the melting temperature (T_m) of pure PMMA is about 166 °C which was shifted towards lower temperature when ash were incorporated in the polymer matrix. The mechanical properties of the ash/PMMA composites were enhanced up to an optimum level (ash 3 wt %) and then decreased at higher incorporation of large quantity of filler. The TGA thermograms indicated that the thermal stability of the ash/PMMA composite was enhance significantly than pure PMMA.