Abstract
The potential of in situ microfibrillization for recycling ultraviolet‐aged high density polyethylene (HDPE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) mixtures was investigated. The photodegradation of HDPE and PET was conducted through accelerated irradiation in an ultraviolet (UV) chamber. The ultraviolet‐aged HDPE and PET was melt blended (in 80/20 wt. ratio) and rectangular slit die extruded, followed by hot stretch and quenching; thus the in situ microfibrillar PET/HDPE blends were fabricated. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and contact angle measurements indicate that HDPE and PET suffered photodegradation. There is an increase in yield strength and tensile modulus as well as Vicat softening temperature (VST) tests for in situ microfibrillar blends with increasing UV exposure time, while there is a decrease in these properties for conventional blends, indicating that the in situ microfibrillar blend process has promising potential for recycling plastic mixtures.
Published Version
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