INFLUENCE OF SHUNGITE ON PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES OF POLYMERIC COMPOSITE MATERIAL
Polymers are increasingly replacing conventional materials such as wood, metals, natural fibers. This is due to a number of advantages of polymer materials over classic ones: increased chemical resistance to aggressive environments, high strength indicators and durability in the operation of products. In addition, polymeric materials are actively used in the food industry. The use of polymer packaging is reaching global proportions. Improving production technologies and formulations allows to create new polymer composites with improved properties, which gives the rapid growth of the polymer industry. In order to impart the necessary properties, fillers are introduced into the polymeric material. By introducing such additives into the polymer, it is possible to control the properties of the material obtained, for example, viscosity, density, transparency, bactericidal and other important properties. The article considers the influence of shungite on the operational properties of the finished composite based on low-pressure polyethylene. The research results showed that the composite obtained provides the highest characteristics with respect to light reflection and absorption for all wavelength regions that are important during operation, has bactericidal properties, and it has been proved that in the shungite-filled polymer, a shift in the temperature of the onset of thermal degradation towards higher temperatures is observed. The composite acquires higher operational and physico-mechanical properties.