Search results for "Plastics"

Re-gradation of Photo-oxidized Post-consumer Greenhouse Films

2005

The degradation undergone by the polymers during their use and because of the thermo-mechanical degradation undergone during the reprocessing operations provokes, among other effects, the decrease of the molecular weight. The change of the molecular architecture is responsable for the deterioration of all the properties. In order to restore the properties of post-consumer recycled plastics, some rebuilding of the molecular structure is necessary. In this work, photo-oxidized films for greenhouses were reprocessed in presence of additives able to react with the polyethylene in order to form branching and cross-linking, improving the properties of these post-consumer plastic.

Cylindrical Polymer Brushes with Elastin-Like Polypeptide Side Chains

2013

Monodisperse high molar mass elastin-like polypeptide macromonomers comprising 20 pentasequences (M = 8332 g/mol) were radically polymerized to high degrees of polymerization Pw = 590. Polymerization was conducted in water well above the lower phase transition temperature, i.e., in the phase separated regime. The resulting polymers adopt a cylindrical shape as demonstrated by AFM pictures of solutions spin-cast on mica. The directional persistence of the cylindrical brushes was determined by static light scattering to Kuhn statistical segments lengths lk = 120 nm at 5 mM aqueous NaCl solution which decreased to lk = 54 nm at 0.65 M NaCl. Upon polymerization the phase transition temperature …

Characterization and Reprocessing of Greenhouse Films.

2001

Films for greenhouses are an attractive source of post-consumer plastic materials because they are mainly made of polyethylene and can be easily collected in large amounts in small zones. The types of polymers for this application are, however, increasing and the films contain not only additives and stabilisers, but also fertiliser and pesticide residues. Finally, the extent of photooxidative degradation undergone during the use can strongly influence the recycling operations and the final properties of the secondary material. In this work, a complete characterisation of post-consumer films for greenhouses has been carried out and the properties of the recycled material have been correlated…

Effect of the Components Molar Mass and of the Mixing Conditions on the Compatibilization of PE/LCP Blends by PE-g-LCP Copolymers

1999

The rheology, morphology, and mechanical properties of blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a semiflexible liquid crystalline copolyester (SBH) were studied in order to assess the compatibilizing ability of added PE-g-SBH copolymers, and its dependence on the molar mass of the PE matrix, and on the technique used for blend preparation. The PE-g-SBH copolymers were synthesized as described in previous articles, either by the polycondensation of the SBH monomers in the presence of a functionalized PE sample containing free carboxyl groups, or by reactive blending of the latter polymer with preformed SBH. Two samples of HDPE having different molar masses, and two samples of SBH with…

Compatibilization of blends of polyethylene with a semirigid liquid crystalline polymer by PE-g-LCP copolymers

1997

The blends of thermoplastics with liquid crystalline polymers show, in general, poor properties because of the lack of adherence between the two phases. The use of ad hoc synthesized copolymers containing the monomer units of the two polymers has been recently considered by some of us for blend compatibilization, and the results appear promising. In this work, new PE-g-LCP copolymers, prepared either by the synthesis of the LCP in the presence of a functionalized PE, or by reactive blending of the latter polymer with preformed LCP, have been employed as compatibilizing additives for blends of PE with a semirigid LCP. The morphology and the rheological and mechanical properties of the ternar…

Transparent thermoplastic polyurethanes based on aliphatic diisocyanates and polycarbonate diol

2016

Segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes (PUs) were synthetized using polycarbonate diol as soft segment with a molar mass of 500 and as a hard segment 1,5-pentanediol with a combination of isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Differential scanning calorimetry, differential mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection spectroscopy, haze, transmittance, hardness, tensile properties and retention of tensile properties tests were employed to characterize the different PUs. The results of this study show that IPDI/HDI relation has a significant impact on the phase mixing, crystallinity and therefore on the PU’s properties. The variati…

Structure to Function in Supramolecular Polymers and Materials

2018

Modelling Monomer/Disc Composites Phase Behaviour

2012

Summary: A model developed by Balazs' group to explain the phase behaviour of polymer/clay composites is extended to obtain an expression for the free energy of polymer/thin disc mixtures. Phase diagrams for monomer/disc mixtures are built by minimizing the free energy and calculating the chemical potentials of the three system components. Via the comparison of the diagrams, it is studied the effects of nanodisc size and interaction parameters on mixture stability and attained morphology. The performed predictions between monomers and discs give criteria that advance the properties of the mixture. Changes in monomer concentration and interaction parameters provide a means to prevent van der…

Influence of the modification, induced by zirconia nanoparticles, on the structure and properties of polycarbonate

2013

Melt compounding was used to prepare polycarbonate (PC)–zirconia nanocomposites with different amounts of zirconia. The effect of the zirconia loading, in the range of 1–5 wt.%, on the structure, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics was investigated. The zirconia nanoparticle aggregates were well dispersed in the PC matrix and induced the appearance of a local lamellar order in the polycarbonate as inferred by SAXS findings. This order could be a consequence of the intermolecular interactions between zirconia and the polymer, in particular with the quaternary carbon bonded to the methyl groups and the methyl carbon as inferred from the NMR results. The presence of zirconia…

Effect of elongational flow on morphology and properties of polymer/CNTs nanocomposite fibers

2010

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been attracting increasing interest for the fabrication of polymer-based nanocomposites because of their excellent properties. Traditional methods for the preparation of polymer/CNTs nanocomposites are in situ polymerization, solution blending, and melt mixing. The achievement of a good CNT dispersion and a percolation network is important in order to obtain better mechanical and electrical properties. However, the rheological behavior of polymer/CNTs systems, in particular regarding the extensional flow, has not been much investigated so far. In this work we present, for the first time, rheological data in non-isothermal extensional flow and an investigation on…