Electrical and mechanical properties of the high-permittivity ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene-based composite modified by carbon nanotubes

A composite based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with 1 wt% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with an increased permittivity ($\varepsilon$ = 4.5), low dielectric loss ($\operatorname{tg}\delta$ = 10$^{-2}$) in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 100 MHz is obtained and its basic mechanical characteristics is studied. The material has a reduced tensile strength of 22MPa, a high elongation at break of 700% and an abrasion resistance of 37% higher than that of pure UHMWPE. Based on the results of X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, it was shown that changes in the mechan-ical properties of the composite are due to changes in the structure of the polymer matrix that occur as a result of exposure high-intensity sonication used in the process of introducing MWNTs into polymer.