Morphology and mechanical properties of biaxially oriented films of polypropylene and HDPE blends

Biaxially oriented films of blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with polypropylene (PP) homopolymer and PP copolymers prepared by twin-screw extrusion and lab-stretcher have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized microscopy, differential-scanning calorimeter, and universal testing machine. Three different kinds of PP copolymers were used: (i) ethylene–propylene (EP) random copolymer; (ii) ethylene–propylene (EP) block copolymer; (iii) ethylene–propylene–buttylene (EPB) terpolymer. In the SEM study of the morphology of films of HDPE with various PP blends, phase separation is observed between the PP phase and the HDPE phase for all blends and compositions. In all blends, HDPE serves to reduce the average spherulites size, probably acting as a nucleating agent for PP. The reduction of spherulite size appeared most significantly in the blend of EPB terpolymer and HDPE. A large increase of crystallization temperature was found in the blend of EPB terpolymer and HDPE compared with the unblended EPB terpolymer. For the blend of EPB terpolymer and HDPE, the improvement of tensile strength and modulus is observed with an increase of HDPE content, and this can be considered as a result of the role of HDPE in reducing average spherulite size. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Processing of polyolefin blends

The morphology of binary and ternary polyolefin blends of polypropylene (PP), ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) and polyethylene (PE) following processing by injection and compression molding has been examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Internal surfaces were generated by low temperature fracture and etching with cyclohexane. In binary blends, droplets of EPDM are elongated in the flow direction within 400μm of the mold surface in injection molding, yielding a skin region which is distinct from an isotropic core containing spherical EPDM inclusions. Spherical droplets of EPDM or PE in binary blends with PP increase in size with increasing compression molding time. In ternary blends, spherical inclusions containing both EPDM and PE are dispersed in PP. With increasing compression molding time, EPDM separates from PE and concentrates at the outer edges of the PE inclusion, effectively isolating PE from the PP matrix.     

Mechanical properties and morphology of polyethylene–polypropylene blends with controlled thermal history

The effect of time–temperature treatment on the mechanical properties and morphology of polyethylene–polypropylene (PE–PP) blends was studied to establish a relationship among the thermal treatment, morphology, and mechanical properties. The experimental techniques used were polarized optical microscopy with hot‐stage, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile testing. A PP homopolymer was used to blend with various PEs, including high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE), and very low density polyethylene (VLDPE). All the blends were made at a ratio of PE:PP = 80:20. Thermal treatment was carried out at temperatures between the crystallization temperatures of PP and PEs to allow PP to crystallize first from the blends. A very diffuse PP spherulite morphology in the PE matrix was formed in partially miscible blends of LLDPE–PP even though PP was present at only 20% by mass. Droplet‐matrix structures were developed in other blends with PP as dispersed domains in a continuous PE matrix. The SEM images displayed a fibrillar structure of PP spherulite in the LLDPE–PP blends and large droplets of PP in the HDPE–PP blend. The DSC results showed that the crystallinity of PP was increased in thermally treated samples. This special time–temperature treatment improved tensile properties for all PE–PP blends by improving the adhesion between PP and PE and increasing the overall crystallinity. In particular, in the LLDPE–PP blends, tensile properties were improved enormously because of a greater increase in the interfacial adhesion induced by the diffuse spherulite and fibrillar structure. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1151–1164, 2000     

The effect of annealing at 135° on the mechanical properties of injection molded high density polyethylene-polypropylene blends

The effect of annealing at 135°C for 5 hours on the tensile properties of mechanically mixed and then injection molded high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) blends has been investigated. Both the tangent elastic modulus and the tensile strength at yield exhibit a non-linear behavior versus blend composition with a minimum of properties typical for incompatible blends. Annealing substantially improves mechanical properties of pure components and blends (20 percent increase in the yield strength of pure components and blends and the modulus of pure components, and ～40 percent increase in the modulus of 50/50 blends) but the property behavior versus composition is still nonlinear. Scanning electron microscopy studies of fracture surfaces of blends seems to indicate some improvement in bonding between phases as a result of annealing, Both the elastic modulus and yield strength fit extremely well to the modified “rule of mixtures” equation in the general form: M_b = M_PEφ_PE + M_PPφ_PP + ΔM_PE/PPφ_PEφ_PP where M_b is the blend property, M_PE and M_PP are properties of pure PE and PP components, φ_PE and φ_PP are weight fractions of PE and PP, and ΔM_PE/PP is the interaction term being a measure of the deviation from simple additivity.     

Enhancing the mechanical,morphological, and rheological behavior of polyethylene/polypropylene blends with maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene

This is the first study to showcase the use of maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAPE) to compatibilize polyethylene (PE)-rich blends, where polypropylene (PP) represents the minor phase. By first mixing PP with MAPE, and then adding PE, MAPE was assumed to be localized at the PE/PP interface. Microscopy analysis confirmed that MAPE led to a remarkably fine PE/PP/MAPE morphology, with PP being uniformly dispersed into PE and having an average diameter 267% smaller than that in the PE/PP blend. According to mechanical and rheological tests, this translated into a 14%, 20%, and 14% enhancement of tensile strength, tensile modulus, and tensile toughness, respectively, as well as a 10% and 20% drop in PE/PP viscosity mismatch and interfacial tension, respectively. Finally, PE/PP/MAPE tensile toughness and elongation at break were greater than those of virgin PP, while PE/PP/MAPE strength and stiffness were similar to the ones of neat PP. Therefore, this study provides industries with the possibility to utilize products rich in PE instead of those made of more expensive PP, while still keeping the level of performance high; hence, creating a paradigm shift in the development of advanced lightweight polyolefin materials with tuned functionalities.     

The effect of Ag,ZnO, and CuO nanoparticles on the properties of the compatibilized polyethylene/thermoplastic starch blend films

In this study, the effects of Ag, ZnO, and CuO nanoparticles (NPs) on the mechanical, thermal, and biodegradability properties of the compatibilized polyethylene (PE)/thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends were investigated. Polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) was used as the compatibilizer. The compatibilized PE/TPS blends with different NPs were prepared by melt mixing method in a laboratory scale extruder and then pressurized in the press machine. The use of ZnO NP together with the compatibilizer in PE/TPS-based films significantly increased the tensile stress values. The use of different type NPs did not cause any significant change in the thermal stability of PE/TPS-based films. However, the effects of NPs were observed on the TPS degradation steps. The prepared films with different NPs showed an antibacterial activity between 60% and 70%. The highest crystallinity value was obtained in Ag NP containing films, among others. According to scanning electron microscopy analysis, better distribution was observed for ZnO and Ag NPs than CuO NP. In general, it can be said that the addition of NPs to PE/TPS-based blends significantly reduces the partial biodegradability of the resulting films.     

Annealing of polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) blend. II. Influence of the structure and properties of poly(ethylene-co-propylene) and blended polyethylene on impact strength

The effect of annealing on the impact strength of PP/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) (PEP) and PP/PEP/PE blends was studied with regard to the structure of PEP and the polyethylene crystallinity. The tensile impact strength of annealed blends was remarkably affected by the PEP structure such as molecular weight and comonomer composition and the annealing temperature, while the brittle temperature was scarcely affected. For the PP/PEP/PE blends, annealing at temperatures above the melting point of PE lowers the tensile impact strength in a similar manner as the PP/crystalline PEP blend. These phenomena were explained on the basis of the deformation mechanism presented in the previous article, that is, a thicker interfacial layer of PP and PEP forms by means of annealing to increase the energy needed to deform the interface. By using a scanning electron microscope, the transition layer was observed at the interface between amorphous PEP and PE in the PP/amorphous PEP/PE blend after etching with nitric acid. The formation of a thicker transition layer between amorphous PEP and PE and a sizeable increase in PE particle size by annealing was observed. The phenomena should be correlated with the impact sensitivity, especially tensile impact strength, in the PP/crystalline PEP and PP/amorphous PEP/PE blends. A reasonable explanation of the microstructure in PP/PEP blends has been developed in terms of comonomer composition and melting property of PEP.     

剪切作用下POE-g-MAH和PP-g-MAH对PA1010/PP共混物的增容作用

采用熔融共混的方法制备了聚酰胺1010/聚丙烯（PA1010/PP）共混物,通过扫描电镜、力学性能和差示扫描量热等方法研究了剪切作用下马来酸酐接枝乙烯-辛烯共聚物（POE-g-MAH）和马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯（PP-g-MAH）对PA1010/PP共混物的增容作用。结果表明,同样条件下,PP-g-MAH增容体系的相区尺寸较小,相界面更模糊,PP相的结晶温度和结晶度明显提高,共混物的拉伸强度和冲击强度均高于非增容体系。而POE-g-MAH增容体系的相区尺寸相对较大,PP相的结晶温度和结晶度明显降低,共混物只有冲击强度明显高于非增容体系,拉伸强度略低于非增容体系。     

Study of compatibilizers for glass fibre reinforced nylon 6/polypropylene blends

The efficiency of a synthesized interfacial modifier agent, acrylic acid grafted polypropylene (AAgPP) in glass fibre reinforced nylon 6/polypropylene (GFRN6/PP) blends has been studied. Scanning electron microscopy clearly shows that the dispersed phase particle size decreases when AAgPP content increases (12‐fold decrease in diameter) resulting in a more stable morphology. The established emulsification curve for this system emphasizes the efficiency of the synthesised AAgPP as a potential interfacial modifier for GFRN6/PP blends. AAgPP at 7.5 wt% is to be considered as the critical concentration for our blend; such a concentration corresponds to maximum interaction between the matrix and the dispersed phase. Strong interactions between the blend components have been observed. The effect of increasing the compatibility agent content on Izod impact, tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at yield has also been investigated, and a bell‐shaped trend observed with a maximum at 7.5 wt% AAgPP content. A 25 % increase in impact strength for the unnotched specimen, a twofold increase in tensile strength and a fourfold increase in tensile modulus are obtained. At 7.5 wt% AAgPP, a tough–brittle fracture transition is observed with a 2.5 µm particle size diameter. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.     

Mechanical properties and morphology of crosslinked PP/PE blends and PP/PE/propylene–ethylene copolymer blends

Blending is an effective method for improving polymer properties. However, the problem of phase separation often occurs due to incompatibility of homopolymers, which deteriorates the physical properties of polyblends. In this study, isotactic polypropylene was blended with low-density polyethylene. Crosslinking agent and copolymers of propylene and ethylene (either random copolymer or block copolymer) were added to improve the interfacial adhesion of PP/LDPE blends. The tensile strength, heat deflection temperature, and impact strength of these modified PP/PE blends were investigated. The microstructures of polyblends have been studied to interpret the mechanical behavior through dynamic viscoelasticity, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, picnometry, and scanning electron microscopy. The properties of crosslinked PP/PE blends were determined by the content of crosslinking agent and processing method. For the material blended by roll, a 2% concentration of peroxide corresponded to a maximum tensile strength and minimum impact strength. However, the mechanical strength of those products blended by extrusion monotonously decreased with increasing peroxide content because of serious degradation. The interfacial adhesion of PP/PE blends could be enhanced by adding random or block copolymer of propylene and ethylene, and the impact strength as well as ductility were greatly improved. Experimental data showed that the impact strength of PP/LDPE/random copolymer ternary blend could reach as high as 33.3 kg · cm/cm; however, its rigidity and tensile strength were inferior to those of PP/LDPE/block copolymer blend.     

The influence of matrix viscosity and composition on the morphology,rheology, and mechanical properties of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposites based on EPDM/PP

The morphological and rheological properties of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposites (TPE nanocomposites) were studied using different viscosities of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM) rubber content (20, 40, 60 wt%). The components, namely EPDM, PP, Cloisite 15A, and maleic anhydride‐modified PP as compatibilizer, were compounded by a one‐step melt mixing process in a laboratory internal mixer. The structure of the nanocomposites was characterized with X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and rheometry in small amplitude oscillatory shear. The distribution state of the clay between the two phases (PP and EPDM) was found to be dependent on the viscosity ratio of PP to EPDM. In the nanocomposites prepared based on low viscosity PP (LVP) and EPDM, the clay was mostly dispersed into the PP phase and the size of the dispersed rubber particles decreased in comparison with unfilled but otherwise similar blends. However, the dispersed elastomer droplet size in the high viscosity PP (HVP) blends containing 40 and 60% EPDM increased with the introduction of the clay. For TPE nanocomposites, the dependence of the storage modulus (G′) on angular frequency (ω) followed a clear nonterminal behavior. The increase in the storage modulus and the decrease in the terminal zone slope of the elastic modulus curve were found to be larger in the LVP nanocomposite in comparison with the HVP sample. The yield stress of nanoclay‐filled blends prepared with LVP increased more than that of HVP samples. The tensile modulus improved for all nanocomposites but a higher percentage of increase was observed in the case of LVP samples. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Mechanical Properties and Morphology of Ternary PP/EPDM/PE Blends

The ternary blends of high‐density polyethylene (PE), EPDM terpolymer and polypropylene (PP) have been used as a model low interfacial tension system to study encapsulation dynamics in ternary blends and their relation to the blends' mechanical properties. It was found that the modulus, tensile strength and impact resistance can be improved by PE addition if the PE is localized within the EPDM phase. A range of blend morphology was found depending on the PE viscosity and polymer incorporation sequence in the twin‐screw extruder. In the most favorable sequence, PE and EPDM were mixed together prior to their dispersion in the PP matrix. This practice resulted in a 50% increase in impact resistance when compared to mixing the three components in a single‐step.     

Tensile properties and morphology of the dynamically cured EPDM and PP/HDPE ternary blends

The tensile properties and morphology of the polyolefin ternary blends of ethylenepropylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM), polypropylene and high density polyethylene were studied. Blends were prepared in a laboratory internal mixer where EPDM was cured in the presence of PP and HDPE under shear with dicumyl peroxide (DCP). For comparison, blends were also prepared from EPDM which was dynamically cured alone and blended with PP and HDPE later (cure–blend). The effect of DCP concentration, intensity of the shear mixing, and rubber/plastics composition was studied. The tensile strength and modulus increased with increasing DCP concentration in the blends of EPDM-rich compositions but decreased with increasing DCP concentration in blends of PP-rich compositions. In the morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the small amount of EPDM acted as a compatibilizer to HDPE and PP. It was also revealed that the dynamic curing process could reduce the domain size of the crosslinked EPDM phase. When the EPDM forms the matrix, the phase separation effect becomes dominant between the EPDM matrix and PP or HDPE domain due to the crosslinking in the matrix.     

Study on the microstructures and mechanical behaviour of compatibilized polypropylene/polyamide‐6 blends

A series of blends of polypropylene (PP)–polyamide‐6 (PA6) with either reactive polyethylene–octene elastomer (POE) grafted with maleic anhydride (POE‐g‐MA) or with maleated PP (PP‐g‐MA) as compatibilizers were prepared. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated by means of tensile and impact testing and by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the miscibility of PP–PA6 blends was improved with the addition of POE‐g‐MA and PP‐g‐MA. For the PP/PA6/POE‐g‐MA system, an elastic interfacial POE layer was formed around PA6 particles and the dispersed POE phases were also observed in the PP matrix. Its Izod impact strength was four times that of pure PP matrix, whilst the tensile strength and Young's modulus were almost unchanged. The greatest tensile strength was obtained for PP/PA6/PP‐g‐MA blend, but its Izod impact strength was reduced in comparison with the pure PP matrix. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of the ethylene–(methacrylic acid)–Zn2+ ionomer on the thermal and mechanical properties of blends of poly(propylene) (PP)/ethylene–(vinyl alcohol) copolymer (EVOH)

The thermal and mechanical properties and the morphologies of blends of poly(propylene) (PP) and an ethylene–(vinyl alcohol) copolymer (EVOH) and of blends of PP/EVOH/ethylene–(methacrylic acid)–Zn²⁺ ionomer were studied to establish the influence of the ionomer addition on the compatibilization of PP/EVOH blends and on their properties. The oxygen transmission rate (O₂TR) values of the blends were measured as well. PP and EVOH are initially incompatible as was determined by tensile tests and scanning electronic microscopy. Addition of the ionomer Zn²⁺ led to good compatibility and mechanical behaviour was improved in all blends. The mechanical properties on extruded films were studied for 90/10 and 80/20 w/w PP/EVOH blends compatibilized with 10 % of ionomer Zn²⁺. These experiments have shown that the tensile properties are better than in the injection‐moulded samples. The stretching during the extrusion improved the compatibility of the blends, diminishing the size of EVOH domains and enhancing their distribution in the PP matrix. As was to be expected, the EVOH improved the oxygen permeation of the films, even in compatibilized blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Morphological evolution and properties of thermoplastic vulcanizate/organoclay nanocomposites

Nanocomposites composed of organoclay and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) based on uncompatibilized or compatibilized polypropylene (PP)/ethylene–propylene–diene rubber (EPDM) blends were prepared in this study. The morphology of the nanocomposites was studied with wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, which suggested that the addition of the compatibilizer played a key role in determining the morphology of the composites because of their interaction with the clay surface. Scanning electron microscopy study indicated the changes in the morphology of the rubber particles. Dynamic mechanical analysis was also applied to the analysis of these phenomena. Moreover, for nanocomposites with uncompatibilized PP/EPDM blends as the matrix, the samples showed tensile enhancement compared with neat TPV. Although the addition of the compatibilizer changed tensile properties of the composites in a rather different trend, the tensile modulus increased dramatically when the compatibilizer was added. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40618.     

冷却温度对聚丙烯薄膜结晶、形态和拉伸性能的影响

采用示差扫描量热法(DSC)、广角X射线衍射(WAXD)和扫描电镜(SEM)对聚丙烯(PP)薄膜的结晶、形态进行了研究,并测试了薄膜的拉伸性能.结果表明:冷却水温度变化对生产PP薄膜的结晶、形态和拉伸性能有很大影响.在冬季,PP薄膜的结晶度更小,晶体尺寸更均一;但在夏季,PP薄膜的拉伸强度、杨氏模量和断裂伸长率分别提高45%、85%和94%.最后,通过数值模拟,得到了给定条件下相关冷却参数的合理数值.     

Reactive compatibilization of polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate blends

The reactive compatibilization of polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate (PP/PET) blends by addition of glycidyl methacrylate grafted PP (PP-g-GMA) was studied. Two PP-g-GMA copolymers, containing either 0.2 or 1.2 wt% of GMA, were used as interface modifiers. These were incorporated into PP blends (with either 70 or 90 wt% PET), replacing 1/5 of PP in the system. The use of these modifiers changed the blends' tensile mechanical behavior from fragile to ductile. Blend tensile strength was improved by 10% and elongation at break showed 10 to 20-fold increases while stiffness remained constant. Scanning electron micrographs showed the PP average domain size in injection molded specimens to decrease to the micron/sub-micron size upon addition of the GMA modified resins, while the unmodified blends exhibited heterogeneous morphology comprising large lamellae 10–20 μm wide. The low-GMA graft content PP seemed slightly more efficient than the high GMA content PP in emulsifiying PP/PET blends. The GMA grafting level on PP had very limited effects on the blends' mechanical behavior in the range of GMA graft density provided by the two modified resins investigated.     

Effect of interface affinity on the performance of a composite of microcrystalline cellulose and polypropylene/polylactide blends

The effects of compatibilizer and fillers on the mechanical properties and dispersion state of droplets of polypropylene (PP)/polylactide (PLA) blends were investigated. Two blended composite systems, i.e. PP‐rich (80/20) containing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) modified with silane (m‐MCC) and PLA‐rich (20/80) containing MCC were prepared by melt compounding using a twin‐screw extruder. The structural differences between MCC and m‐MCC were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectra. Universal testing machine results revealed that the tensile strength and Young's modulus increased with the addition of compatibilizer and filler, respectively. These results were supported by the reduction of domain size observed by scanning electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetric analysis showed a change of the melting and crystallization behavior of blends according to the presence of compatibilizer or filler. An increase of the dynamic storage modulus and a decrease in tan δ with addition of compatibilizer indicated that the interfacial adhesion between PP and PLA improved. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Morphology and properties of blends of polyethylene with a semiflexible liquid crystalline polymer

Blends of three polyethylene (PE) samples (two HDPE grades and LLDPE) with an experimental sample of a semiflexible liquid crystalline polymer (SBH 1:1:2 by Eniricerche) have been prepared in a Brabender compounder. The processing-aid effect of the LCP has been demonstrated by the decreased energy required for extruding the blends, as compared to that needed for neat PE. The thermal properties, as studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), have shown that the two components of the blends are immiscible. However, the dispersed SBH phase has been found to act as a nucleating agent for the crystallization of LLDPE, whereas no such effect was observed for HDPE. This has been taken as an indication that the phase interactions of SBH with LLDPE are more pronounced than with HDPE. The morphological study of the blends, done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), has confirmed this conclusion. In fact, the SBH particles show a much better dispersion and a narrower size distribution in the LLDPE/SBH blends. The mechanical properties of the blends have been studied on compression-molded specimens. The results indicate that the reinforcing effect of SBH is practically none for both HDPE grades. In fact, the elongation at break decreases to very low values, and the tensile strength is also reduced, when the LCP concentration increases beyond 5–10%, whereas the tensile modulus does not vary appreciably, over the whole (0–20%) LCP range investigated. On the contrary, the tensile modulus of the LLDPE/SBH blends increases up to ca. 50%, and the elongation at break decreases more smoothly, on increasing the SBH content up to 20%. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.