Rheological, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polypropylene/Low Molecular Weight Polypropylene Blends

Abstract

Ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene (UHMWPP), with a molecular weight of more than 106 g/mol, is expected to have superior properties, such as high mechanical strength, high thermal properties, high chemical resistance and outstanding tribological properties. However, UHMWPP has a very poor processability due to its high melt viscosity. Therefore, we aimed to improve processability of UHMWPP by blending it with a low molecular weight polypropylene (LMWPP). We attempted to improve the interfacial miscibility and intermolecular entanglement of the UHMWPP/LMWPP system by using a kneader machine. The addition of LMWPP tended to change the mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the blend system.