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Compatibilization of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polypropylene blends: Effect of polypropylene molecular weight on homogeneity and compatibility
Author(s) -
Inoya Hiroyuki,
Wei Leong Yew,
Klinklai Warunee,
Thumsorn Supaporn,
Makata Yuki,
Hamada Hiroyuki
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.34405
Subject(s) - polypropylene , materials science , compatibilization , composite material , homogeneous , toughness , homogeneity (statistics) , polyethylene terephthalate , bottle , compatibility (geochemistry) , poly ethylene , polymer blend , polymer , polymer science , copolymer , polymer chemistry , ethylene , chemistry , organic chemistry , mathematics , statistics , catalysis , combinatorics
The effectiveness of compatibilizers in enhancing the dispersion of polypropylene (PP) at various molecular weights in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) was elucidated. The idea of incorporating PP of different molecular weights evolved from the intention of simultaneously recycling the PET bottles together with the PP‐based bottle caps, which are often of low molecular weight ( M w ). Three grades of PP with known molecular weights were blended with RPET at various loadings of compatibilizers. Morphological analyses suggest that the dispersion of the PP particles was more homogeneous, and the average particle size was smaller when low M w PP was incorporated. This indicates that the interaction between the compatibilizer and PP particles was more intense with the presence of a large number but shorter PP molecular chains. Moreover, specimens containing low M w PP were found to remain homogeneous regardless of compatibilizer and PP content in the RPET/PP blends. The homogeneity of the blends significantly affected their mechanical performance as well. Higher stiffness, yield strength, deformability, and toughness were observed when low M w PP was incorporated, regardless of PP and compatibilizer loadings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012