LAUSR

The metallic effect of polymer composites was produced through the loading of flash aluminum flake pigments (FAFPs) into polymers. This production method could eliminate postprocessing techniques, such as spray coating, painting, or metallization. We used a self-improved, ultrasound-assisted capillary rheometer to explore the rheological behavior of high-density polyethylene composites filled with FAFPs in the absence and presence of ultrasound treatment. The effects of the ultrasound intensity, experimental temperature, filler content, and particle size on the composite viscosity were studied. The results show that the composite viscosity not only decreased as the ultrasound intensity, experimental temperature, and particle size increased but also decreased as the filler content decreased. A viscosity model of the polymer melts was proposed to illustrate the relationship between the viscosity and ultrasonic intensity. The viscosity obeyed the equations under ultrasonic vibration. The predicted results for the composite viscosity complied greatly with the experimental values. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44906.