• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.22-29
• /
• 2001

For a purpose of recycling of waste tires, composites of 10-60wt% recycled tire crumb blended with high density polyethylene(HDPE) were prepared, and their mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, tensile modulus and impact strength were investigated as a function of tire crumb content. Ethylene-acrylic acid(EAA) copolymer was introduced by 10phr as a compatibilizer and the mechanical properties of the composites were measured. For the blend composition of 40wt% tire crumb content showing improved impact strength, the mechanical properties were measured by varying the EAA content of 5-15phr. All blends, whether modified or unmodified, showed a gradual improvement in impact strength as the tire crumb content increased, but the other properties decreased compared with the pure HDPE. In particular, the addition of EAA copolymer to the tire crumb content over 30wt% showed substantial improvement in impact strength. There was no significant effect of tire crumb size on impact strength of the composites.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.441-449
• /
• 2001

Compatibilization of blends based on poly(phenylene ether) (PPE) and polyamide (PA) has been practiced with the incorporation of a copolymer formed by grafting polystyrene onto polybutadiene latex (g-BS) which is further functionalized with maleic anhydride (MAH) (g-BS*) to impart reactivity with amine groups of PA. The major focus has been placed on the effect of the various structural factors in g-BS8 on the phase morphology and mechanical performance of the blends. For the balance of impact strength and heat resistance, it was important to locate g-BS n particles inside of the PPE phase, which was accomplished by the proper control of the molecular weight and amount of PS in g-BS*. For g-BS*'s having constant molecular weight and amount of PS, the reduction of MAH content or increase of rubber particle size in g-BS* resulted in the increase of domain size and consequently loss in mechanical properties. Based on the comparison made with the conventional PPE/PA blend comprising MAH grafted PPE as a compatibilizer, it was confirmed that the comparable level of mechanical performance can be achieved by an appropriate g-BS* type material with improved whiteness index.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.141-148
• /
• 2000

Polycaprolactone (PCL) was blended with corn starch to produce biodegradable compost films and the biodegradability and mechanical properties were investigated. As the compatibilizer for the immiscible PCL/starch blend, 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA)-PCL macromer was grafted onto starch by initially grafting HEMA to starch and then grafting of PCL onto HEMA via ring opening polymerization of $\varepsilon$-caprolactone. When biodegradability of the PCL grafted starch-g-DEMA copolymers was compared with that of starch by the modified Sturm test, graft copolymers degraded at much slower rates due to the presence of the non-degradable HEMA. With the addition of the graft copolymer up to 5 wt% to the blend, the elongation-at-break of the starch/PCL blend increased substantially, while the tensile strength and modulus did not change much. SEM observation of the blend containing 2 wt% copolymer clearly indicated that the interfacial adhesion between the starch and PCL was strengthened by the copolymer.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.405-410
• /
• 2013

The effect of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) on the blend of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was investigated. The blends were extruded by a single screw extruder equipped with a Maddock mixing screw, and their molded properties were examined. After the binary blends were prepared on the whole compositions of PPS/PET (80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 20/80), the thermal, rheological, mechanical properties and morphology of the blends were analyzed. The results showed the significant decline in the properties of the blends owing to the incompatibility between PPS and PET phases. As a basic blend composition, the PPS/PET (40/60) blend was selected by considering cost efficiency. To this basic blend, SEBS was added as a compatibilizer. With increasing SEBS addition, the mechanical properties were improved. From the domain size reduction observed in morphology, it might be due to the enhancement of compatibility between linear PPS and PET phases by addition of SEBS.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.169-177
• /
• 2001

Morphological, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of reactive compatabilized blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and Polyamide-6 (PA) containing EGMA copolymer were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), advanced rheometric expansion system (ARES), and universal testing machine (UTM). From the results of thermal analysis by DSC, the melting point of the 30/70 PBT-PA blend was broadened after EGMA was added in the blends, since the enthalpy of melting of the PBT-PA somewhat decreased with the increase of EGMA content. From this result, it is suggested that the EGMA affected to the crystallization behavior and crystallinity of the PBT-PA blends. From SEM micrographs of the 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70 PBT-PA blends, the droplet size of the 30/70 PBT-PA blend was about 0.8 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ which was smaller than that of the 50/50 and 70/30 PBT-PA blends. The complex viscosity of the 30/70 PBT-PA blend observed to be higher than that of the 50/50 and 70/30 PBT-PA blends. From the results of the morphology and rheological properties for the PBT-PA blends, it is suggested that the compatibility is increased in the 30/70 PBT-PA blend than the 50/50 and 70/30 PBT-PA blends. From the results of mechanical properties, it was found that the tensile strength of the 30/70 PBT-PA blend increased with the increase of EGMA up to 2 phr, while tensile strength of the blend in which EGMA content was higher than 2 phr decreased with the increase of EGMA content. From the results of morphological, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties for the PBT-PA-EGMA blends, it is suggested that the EGMA could be used as a compatibilization role in the blends.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.512-520
• /
• 2001

One of the most important factors which affect the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composite materials is the interfacial shear strength (IFSS). The IFSS of glass fiber and polycarbonate (PC)/styrene-co-acrylonitrile (SAN) blend system has been measured by the single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT). SAN contents were varied up to 30 wt% and the IFSS increased with the SAN contents. Styrene-co-maleic anhydride (SMA) was used as the compatibilizer and the glass fiber was surface treated with organosilane coupling agents. Addition of small amount of SMA in PC/SAN blend improved the IFSS by chemical bonding between maleic anhydride and silanol. The optimum MA content was 0.4 wt% of total matrix contents. Also, IFSS was greatly affected by the miscibility condition of SAN/SMA blends, which depended on the copolymer composition of SAN and SMA. It was found out that, higher IFSS could be obtained when the SAN/SMA blend was in miscible pairs. In case of SAN/SMA miscible pairs, the IFSS depended on the MA content in total matrix, not on the MA content in SMA.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.204-210
• /
• 2013

Effects of additives (lubricant and antioxidant) and melt-blending condition (temperature, time and rotor speed) on the mechanical properties of polypropylene-based wood polymer composites (WPCs) were investigated. WPCs were prepared by melt-blending followed by compression molding. To understand melt-blending procedure, torque change of the WPC melt-blend was monitored. Maleic anhydride modified PP and nanoclay were used as a compatibilizer and a reinforcing filler, respectively. UTM and izod impact tester were used to measure the mechanical properties of the WPCs and a color-difference meter was used to measure the discoloration of the WPCs according to melt-blending condition. The mechanical properties showed that the optimized melt-blending condition was $170^{\circ}C$, 15 min, and 60 rpm. The mechanical properties of the WPCs decreased with increasing lubricant and antioxidant content. The two step method, adding wood flour later separately during melt-blending, was more effective than the typical one step method for improving the mechanical properties of the WPCs.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.576-582
• /
• 2003

When the halogenated flame retardant, decabromodiphenyl oxide, was added to the polypropylene/nylon blend, and was compounded with montmorillonite and compatibilizer, maleic anhydride polypropylene, the improvement of flame retardancy and mechanical properties was investigated. The degree of dispersion between polymer resin and inorganic nanoparticles was investigated, and the flame retardancy and mechanical properties was measured quantitatively. XRD results showed that the montrnorillonite was com-pletely exfoliated after polypropylen/nylon nanocomposites was mixed above twice. By compounding with montmorillonite, polypropylene/nylon blend system was overcome the deterioration of flame retardancy. The tensile strength and impact strength were slightly increased, and by compounding with montmorillonite, the additional increase in mechanical properties was obtained. Therefore, the flame retardancy of polypropylene / nylon blend was decreased by adding nylon, but by compounding with inorganic nanoparticle, improvement of the flame retardancy and mechanical properties was obtained.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.6-14
• /
• 2008

Polypropylene (PP)-layered silicate nanocomposites were developed using a new processing method involving a supercritical carbon dioxide ($scCO_2$)-assisted co-rotating twin-screw extrusion process. The nanocomposites were prepared through two step extrusion processes. In the first step, the PP/clay mixture was extruded with $CO_2$ injected into the barrel of the extruder and the resulting foamed extrudate was cooled and pelletized. In the second step, the foamed extrudate was extruded with venting to produce the final PP/clay nanocomposites without $CO_2$. In this study, organophilic-clay and polypropylene matrix were used. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) was used as a compatibilizer. This study focused on the effect of $scCO_2$ on the dispersion characteristics of the clays into a PP matrix and the rheological properties of the layered silicate based PP nanocomposites. The dispersion properties of clays in the nanocomposites as well as the rheological properties of the nanocomposites were examined as a function of the PP-g-MA concentration. The degree of dispersion of the clays in the nanocomposites was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. Various rheological properties of the nanocomposites were measured using a rotational rheometer. In the experimental results, the $scCO_2$ assisted continuous manufacturing extrusion system was used to successfully produce the organophilic-clay filled PP nanocomposites. It was found that $scCO_2$ had a measurable effect on the clay dispersion in the polymer matrix and the melt intercalation of a polymer into clay layers.

• Elastomers and Composites
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.177-187
• /
• 2001

Polypropylene(PP)/polyurethane(PU) blends with reactive compatibilizers were prepared by the compositional quenching process. Maleic anhydride grafted PP(MPP) and hydroxyethyl maleimide grafted PP(HPP) were introduced as reactive compatibilizers. The formation of HPP and the reactions of compatibilizers with the PU components were confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The morphology, tensile properties, thermal stability, and surface property were studied. The blends prepared by the compositional quenching showed better dispersed domain morphology than the melt blends. The PU domain size became more uniform and reduced in size with increasing the amount of compatibilizers. The blends with HPP showed sightly smaller domain sire than the blends with MPP. The blends with compatibilizers all showed improved tensile properties, surface property. and thermal stability due to the interfacial adhesion effect. The blends with MPP showed higher surface energy than the blends with HPP, but the latter showed better thermal stability compared to the former.