Search results for "POLYMER BLENDS"

Time–carbonyl groups equivalence in photo-oxidative aging of virgin/recycled polymer blends

2004

AbstractThe photo-oxidation behaviour of polymers is strongly dependent on the initial amount of carbonyl groups along the chains. The growing use of recycled post-consumer polymers coming from products used outdoors and then photo-oxidised, both pure and blended with the same virgin polymer, gives rise to an unpredictable behaviour of weathering resistance of products made with these materials. The present work shows that the carbonyl group–exposure time curves can be shifted along the time axis to give a single generalised master plot. It is then possible to predict the formation of the new carbonyl groups by knowing only the initial amount of the same carbonyl groups. The same shift fact…

Heat-Resistant Fully Bio-Based Nanocomposite Blends Based on Poly(lactic acid)

2013

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is melt mixed with polyamide 11 (PA11) to obtain a heat-resistant fully bio-based blend with PLA as the dominant component. The goal is achieved by adding small amounts of organoclay (OMMT), which is used to manipulate the blend microstructure. The selective positioning of the OMMT inside the PA11 and at the PLA/PA11 interface turns the blend morphology from drop/matrix into co-continuous at high PLA content (70 wt%). The OMMT-rich PA11 framework that interpenetrates the major PLA phase effectively contributes to bear stresses, and the nanocomposite blend keeps its structural integrity up to ≈160 °C, i.e., about 100 °C above the PLA glass transition.

Morphology, Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Isotropic and Anisotropic PP/rPET/GnP Nanocomposite Samples

2021

The effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) on the morphology, rheological, and mechanical properties of isotropic and anisotropic polypropylene (PP)/recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET)-based nanocomposite are reported. All the samples were prepared by melt mixing. PP/rPET and PP/rPET/GnP isotropic sheets were prepared by compression molding, whereas the anisotropic fibers were spun using a drawing module of a capillary viscometer. The results obtained showed that the viscosity of the blend is reduced by the presence of GnP due to the lubricating effect of the graphene platelets. However, the Cox–Merz rule is not respected. Compared to the PP/rPET blend, the GnP led to a slight incre…

Reprocessing of polyethyleneterephthalate and characterisation of monopolymer blends of virgin and recycled polymers

1997

Recycling of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET from bottles is considered by changing both reprocessing machines and the effect of humidity. The rheological and mechanical properties of this recycled material remain very close to that of the virgin material provided that a careful drying is carried out before any melt operation. The reprocessing has been carried out mainly in view of the use of this secondary material in blends with virgin PET-monopolymer or homopolymer blends. Indeed, this use is a common industrial practice to reuse plastic scraps. Most monopolymer blends show properties between those of the two components but in some cases lower than those expected on the basis of an additi…

The Effects of Nanoclay on the Mechanical Properties, Carvacrol Release and Degradation of a PLA/PBAT Blend

2020

The formulation of polymeric films endowed with the abilities of controlled release of antimicrobials and biodegradability is the latest trend of food packaging. Biodegradable polymer (Bio-Flex&reg

Effect of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Concentration on Polymeric Scaffolds Based on Blends of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) and PHA Prepared via Thermally…

2022

Hybrid porous scaffolds composed of both natural and synthetic biopolymers have demonstrated significant improvements in the tissue engineering field. This study investigates for the first time the fabrication route and characterization of poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate up to 30 wt%. The hybrid scaffolds were prepared by a thermally induced phase separation method starting from ternary solutions. The microstructure of the hybrid porous structures was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and related to the blend composition. The porosity and the wettability of the scaffolds were evaluated through gravimetric and water contact angle measurements, respective…

Effectiveness of organoclays as compatibilizers for multiphase polymer blends - A sustainable route for the mechanical recycling of co-mingled plasti…

2014

We prepare and characterize multiphase systems in which small amounts of recycled polymer, namely polyethylene terephtalate (PET) ground from waste bottles, are dispersed in a co-continuous blend of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Some of such ternary systems are also filled with plate-like clay nanoparticles with different polarities, in order to assess their influence on the morphology and mechanical behaviour of the blends. On the basis of preliminary wettability considerations and inspections by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the PET is found to preferentially locate within the PP phase. Such a positioning is desirable in order to minimize the pres…

Recycling polymer blends

2014

Physical properties of virgin-recycled ABS blends: Effect of post-consumer content and of reprocessing cycles

2012

Abstract Virgin/post-consumer ABS (pc-ABS) blends were re-processed and re-formed up to three times. The effect of pc-ABS content and of reprocessing cycles on the physical properties of the prepared blends was evaluated by mechanical tests (tensile, flexural and impact tests) and by rheological and thermo-mechanical measurements. The processability of pc-ABS blends was not substantially different by that of virgin ABS up to two recycling steps even if the third one induced a slightly decrease of viscosity, more remarkable on increasing the pc-ABS content. The mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of the samples worsened on increasing the level of pc-ABS and after each reprocessing op…

An Additive Model to Predict the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Blends Made by Virgin and Reprocessed Components

2021

In this work, an additive model for the prediction of the rheological and mechanical properties of monopolymer blends made by virgin and reprocessed components is proposed. A polypropylene sample has been reprocessed more times in an extruder and monopolymer blends have been prepared by simulating an industrial process. The scraps are exposed to regrinding and are melt reprocessed before mixing with the virgin polymer. The reprocessed polymer is, then, subjected to some thermomechanical degradation. Rheological and mechanical experimental data have been compared with the theoretical predictions. The results obtained showed that the values of this simple additive model are a very good fit fo…