The formation of stearate on precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) and
magnesium hydroxide has been examined. The object of coating the filler surface
is to achieve improved mechanical properties in the resulting composite material.
The coating of a filler with stearate allows the modification of the energies of
interaction so as to improve dispersion and alter the mechanical properties of the
interphase region. In this work the use of Fourier transform infra-red
spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen
adsorption isotherm analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and carbon–hydrogen–nitrogen combustion analysis (CHN) have been used to characterise the
stearate on the surface of the calcium carbonate filler. New methods for the
estimation of fractional coverage and coating thickness calculation have been
developed. Using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) the effects of
the coating on the interphase region of the composite have been demonstrated
