• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.204-210
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• 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)
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.333-341
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• 2000

Blends consisting of linear shape polylactic acid and star shape polylactic acid (L-PLLA/S-PLLA) have been prepared by melt and solution blending. The effect of blending method on the thermal properties and crystallization behavior of L-PLLA/S-PLLA blends has been investigated. The molecular weight decrease was revealed both in melt and solution blending. S-PLLA was found to be more stable than L-PLLA in the reduction of molecular weight during the course of blending due to its star shape structure. As a result, broad molecular weight distribution was obtained in solution blending. It was found that melting temperature and glass transition temperature decrease with increasing S-PLLA content. Blending method had large influence on the glass transition temperature of PLLA blends, while less effect on melting temperature. From DSC results, it can be noticed that solution blending is more effective blending method to obtain higher crystallinity than melt blending for S-PLLA and blend with higher S-PLLA content.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.107-113
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• 2003

The branched polypropylene (b-PP) was prepared by melt blending process with initiator, antioxidant, and functional monomers to improve the melt strength through the melt grafting. The melt flow index (MFI) of the b-PP was increased with increasing the initiator content. On the introduction of the alkylamine as the branching agents the MFI of the b-PP was increased, while that of the b-PP with the pentaerythritol triacrylate (PT) was decreased. It may be caused by the chain scission of the i-PP backbone due to the reduced thermal stability of the i-PP on the melt blending. The MFI of the b-PP without the antioxidant was increased due to the chain scission occurred during the melt processing, while on the introduction of the antioxidant, the MFI of the b-PP was decreased. The crystallization temperature of the b-PP was higher than that of PP, which was attributed to the branched chain structure. It was found that the PT was the most effective functional monomers for enhancing the melt properties of the b-PP.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2006

PVC and SAN are often mixed to compensate for the disadvantages of each polymer. Miscibility and thermal stability of PVC/SAN blend were investigated in this study by blending SAN polymer having 20, 24, 28, 32 % of acrylonitrile contents. Two polymers were mixed using a melt blending method with a single screw extruder. DSC thermogram was used to evaluate miscibility of the two polymers. SAN having 24 % of acrylonitrile showed the best miscibility with PVC. In order to evaluate degradation behavior, blended polymer was heat treated in DSC furnace and glass transition temperature was measured consecutively. Glass transition temperature increased continuously with annealing time due to degradation and cross-linking of polymer chains. Melt index of blended polymer was always higher than that of PVC.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.118-123
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• 2006

The effect of transesterification on the rheological properties in the melt reactive blending of poly(butylene terephthalate)(PBT) with poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET) has been studied. The melt viscosity depression in PBT was found in PBT/PET blends due to the intrinsic low melt viscosity of PET compared to PBT. In addition, the thermal degradation in the melt blending and transesterification between two polyesters were considered as other factors fer the lowering of the melt viscosity in the blends. In the PBT/PET blends, calcium stearate was less effective than in PBT as a lubricant, however it accelerated both the thermal degradation and transesterification during melt blending. As a result, further melt viscosity drop was obtained in the reactive melt blending of PBT/PET.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.264-269
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• 2004

The present paper deals with improvement in disperse dyeablility as well as imparting of cationic dyeablility to difficultly dyeable polypropylene by a melt blending technique. Isotactic polypropylene (PP) was blended with fibre grade polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), cationic dyeable polyethylene terephthalate (CDPET) and polystyrene (PS), individually. The resulting binary blends were spun and drawn into fibres at draw ratio 2, 2.5, and 3. The compatibility of blends, structural changes of fibres in terms of X-ray crystallinity, relative crystallinity, sonic modulus, birefringence and thermal stability were examined. The blended fibres were found to be disperse dyeable by the conventional method of high temperature and high pressure dyeing. And this dye ability increased with increase in the level of substitution. PP/CDPET blend also exhibited dyeablility with cationic dyes in addition to that with disperse dyes. The optimum level of blending was predicted keeping in view of tenacity and thermal stability of melt blend fibres. The wash fastness properties of the dyed fibres were found to be of high rate.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.483-491
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• 2002

Polyurethane (PU)/nylon 6 blends were prepared by melt blending with Haake Rheomix at $250^{\circ}C$. The compositions of PU/nylon 6 blends were 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, and 50/50 (wt%). The effects of PU contents and blending time on the crystal structure, tan $\delta$, the tensile properties, and the impact behavior were investigated by means of WAXD and DMA, etc. The crystalline diffraction peaks are broadened, and their intensities are reduced with increasing PU contents and blending time. The glass transition temperature, the tensile strength, and the tensile modulus of the blends are also decreased and the elongation at break is increased. The influence of PU content on the crystal structure, tan 3, and the tensile properties of PU/nylon 6 blends is more significant than that of blending time. The impact strength of PU/nylon 6 (10/90 wt%) blends measured at 20 and $-35^{\circ}C$ could be greatly improved.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2005

In the present work, a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composite, filled with Zn-ion coated structural silica encapsulated with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA), was synthesized using the conventional melt-blending technique in a sigma internal mixer. The catalytic activity of the Zn-ions (originating from the structural silica) towards the oxirane group (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA): encapsulating agent) was assessed by infrared spectroscopy. Two composites, each with a filler content of $2.5 wt\%$ were developed. The first one was obtained by melt blending the Zn-ion coated structural silica with LDPE in a co-rotating sigma internal mixer. The second one was obtained by melt blending the same LDPE, but with DGEBA encapsulated Zn-ion coated structural silica. Epoxy resin encapsulation of the Zn-ion coated structural silica resulted in its having good interfacial adhesion and a homogeneous dispersion in the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the encapsulation of epoxy resin over the Zn-ion coated structural silica showed improvements in both the mechanical and thermal properties, viz. a $33\%$ increase in the elastic modulus and a rise in the onset degradation temperature from 355 to $371^{\circ}C$, in comparison to the Zn-ion coated structural silica.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2004

Blends of poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and polyethylene, either linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) or metallocene-catalyzed polyethylene (MPE), that were prepared by melt blending, were investigated. From the rheological properties as determined by capillary rheometry, the melt viscosity of both PPS/LLDPE and PPS/MPE blends was low when PE was in dispersed phase, but high melt viscosity was observed for both blends with PPS in dispersed phase. Significant differences depending on the composition were found in the mechanical properties such as percent elongation at break and notched Izod impact strength. In addition, dispersed phase morphology of the blends was analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), together with brief discussion about the difference between them.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.59-65
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• 2003

PLA/LPCL/HPCL blends composed of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), low molecular weight poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (LPCL), and high molecular weight poly($\varepsilon$-caprolactone) (HPCL) were prepared by melt blending for bioabsorbable fila-ment sutures. The effects of blend composition and blending time on the ester interchange reaction by alcoholysis in the PLA/LPCL/HPCL blends were studied. Their thermal properties and the miscibility due to the ester interchange reaction were investigated by $^1{H-NMR}$, DSC, X-ray, and UTM analyses. The hydroxyl group contents of LPCL in the blends decreafed by the ester interchange reaction due to alcoholysis. Thus, the copolymer was formed by the ester interchange reaction at $200^{\circ}C$ for 30-60 minutes. The thermal properties of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blends such as melting temperature and heat of fusion decreased with increasing ester interchange reaction levels. However, the miscibility among the three poly-mers was improved greatly by ester interchange reaction. Tensile strength and modulus of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers increased with increasing HPCL content, while the elongation at break of the blend fibers increased with increasing LPCL content.