Abstract

In this investigation, metallocene polyethylene (m-PE) was melt blended with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with an effort to achieve improved mechanical properties using a novel eccentric rotor extruder (ERE) without the addition of any compatibilizers. The phase morphology, rheological properties, crystallization behavior, and mechanical properties of the fabricated blends were carefully studied to explore the effect of the elongational flow field on the dispersion and mixing of PET in the m-PE matrix and the interface of the two immiscible polymers. For comparison, a conventional twin-screw extruder (TSE) was used to prepare the same blends as references using the same processing condition. It shows that the elongational flow field in ERE is much more effective to disperse the immiscible PET in the m-PE matrix with a smaller particle size and a narrower particle size distribution, compared to the shear flow field in TSE. A compatibilizer, ethylene-co-methyl acrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate (E-MA-GMA), was added to the m-PE/PET blends during the processing using TSE and ERE. It was observed that the improvement of the tensile property by adding the compatibilizer is marginal for the m-PE/PET blends processed using ERE, which indirectly proves the high effectiveness of the elongational flow field on the enhancement of the dispersion and mixing of PET in the m-PE matrix and the interface interaction.

Highlights

  • Metallocene polyethylene (m-PE) is a type of PE which is synthesized under the catalysis of metallocene and was first industrialized by Exxon in 1991 [1]

  • Since Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has a relatively low viscosity during the melt process, it has been employed to improve the processing performance of the highly viscous metallocene polyethylene (m-PE) and the strength and heat resistance of materials based on m-PE

  • A scanning electronic microscope (SEM, FEI Quatan 250, FEI, Hillsborough, OR, USA) was applied to observe the fracture surfaces of the m-PE/PET blends to study the morphology of the blends and the size distribution of the dispersed PET particles

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Summary

Introduction

Metallocene polyethylene (m-PE) is a type of PE which is synthesized under the catalysis of metallocene and was first industrialized by Exxon in 1991 [1]. Owing to the rigid benzene rings in its molecular structure, it has high strength and good heat resistance. Since PET has a relatively low viscosity during the melt process, it has been employed to improve the processing performance of the highly viscous m-PE and the strength and heat resistance of materials based on m-PE. By blending these two polymers, it has the potential to prepare the material with balanced properties, extending the application for both plastics [3,4]

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