Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)/Al2O3 nanocomposites were prepared by means of a "one-pot" process. The structures and morphologies of EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical and rheological properties of EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposite materials were investigated. FESEM results indicate that Al2O3 nanoparticles with a particle of about 20 urn are homogeneously dispersed in the EVA matrix. SEM studies show that EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposites transform from brittleness to toughness when ruptured. FT-IR results demonstrate that Al2O3 nanoparticles link with EVA through a chemical bond. Compared to that of the pure EVA, the tensile strength and elongation at fracture of EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposite material with 1.5% Al2O3 fillers increase by 25.4% and 12.1%, respectively. The apparent viscosity of EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposite melts is lower than that of the pure EVA, which effectively improves the process fluidity of the EVA/Al2O3 nanocomposites.

Keywords: EVA; Al2O3; nanocomposite; tensile strength; apparent viscosity