POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIALS WITH REINFORCING AGENTS HAVING DIFFERENT MORPHOLOGIES AND PROCEDURES OF SYNTHESIS THEREOF

摘要

Barium sulphate, utilised as a reinforcing agent, may present morphologies such as fibres, spherical agglomerates, or toroidal form, the foregoing depending on the synthesis process utilised. The vast area:volume ratio of these reinforcing agents signifies that the use thereof in small quantities in polymer matrices is sufficient to generate a radiopaque material having mechanical properties similar to or slightly exceeding those of the unreinforced polymer. The composite materials thus obtained may be utilised in a notable manner as biomaterials for making catheters, artificial hearts, and in the textile and pigment industries.