Mechanical properties of HDPE/(PEC/PS)/SEBS blends

Various amounts of a styrene-butadiene-based triblock copolymer (SEBS) was used to compatibilize immiscible blends of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and an amorphous glassy phase consisting of either pure polystyrene (PS) or a miscible blend of PS and a polyether copolymer (PEC). PEC is structurally similar to poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO). Mechanical properties were determined for blends fabricated by injection and compression molding. The inherently brittle two-phase HDPE/(PEC/PS) blends show significant increases in ductility and impact strength resulting from addition of SEBS. These improvements coincide with a slight loss in modulus and yield strength. If the amount of HDPE and SEBS is held constant, impact strength and ductility increase with the amount of PEC in the glassy phase. These trends evidently result from the added ductility of glassy phases containing PEC and perhaps from better interfacial adhesion in blends after adding SEBS. The latter stems from the thermodynamic miscibility between PEC and PS endblocks of SEBS which provide an enthalpic driving force for compatibilization. Differences between the properties of compression and injection-molded blends can be attributed to the degree of crystallinity and orientation induced during molding.     

Morphology of HDPE/(PEC/PS) blends modified with SEBS copolymers

In this study, immiscible blends of HDPE and an amorphous glassy polymer were compatibilized with styrene-hydrogenated butadiene block copolymers. The glassy phase consisted of either pure PS or a miscible blend of PS and polyether copolymer (PEC); PEC is similar to poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO). The morphology of these two-phase mixtures depended on physical characteristics of the components and the method of fabrication. Suitable copolymers increased the degree of dispersion and minimized heterogeneities resulting from the inherent incompatibility of the individual phases. Further reduction in the phase size and increased adhesion between the components of modified blends were achieved by increasing the composition of PEC in the glassy phase. It was concluded that favorable exothermic mixing between PEC and PS endblocks of the copolymers provided an additional driving force for compatibilization. Results from dynamic mechanical thermal analysis suggests that penetration by the copolymers into the homopolymer phases is not complete.     

Impact and tensile properties of SEBS copolymer compatibilized PS/HDPE blends

In this study, polystyrene–hydrogenated polybutadiene–polystyrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer was used as a compatibilizer for the blends of polystyrene (PS) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The morphology and static mechanical and impact properties of the blends were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, uniaxial tension, and instrumented falling-weight impact measurements. Tensile tests showed that the yield strength of the PS/HDPE/SEBS blends decreases considerably with increasing HDPE content. However, the elongation at break of the blends tended to increase significantly with increasing HDPE content. The excellent tensile ductility of the HDPE-rich blends resulted from shield yielding of the matrix. Charpy impact measurements indicated that the impact strength of the blends increases slowly with HDPE content up to 50 wt %; thereafter, it increases sharply with increasing HDPE content. The impact energy of the HDPE-rich blends exceeded that of pure HDPE, implying that the HDPE polymer can be further toughened by the incorporation of brittle PS minor phase in the presence of SEBS compatibilizer. The correlation between the impact property and morphology of the blends is discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1099–1108, 1998     

Studies on binary and ternary blends of polypropylene with SEBS,PS, and HDPE. I. Melt rheological behavior

Studies are reported on melt rheological behavior of some binary and ternary blends of polypropylene (PP) with one or two of the following polymers: styrene–b-ethylene butylene–b-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS), polystyrene (PS), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Blend composition of the binary blends PP/X or ternary blends PP/X/Y were so chosen that the former represent addition of 10 wt % X to PP while the latter represent 10 wt % addition of X or Y to the PP/Y or PP/X blend of constant composition 90:10 by weight, X/Y being SEBS, PS, or HDPE. Measurements were made on a capillary rheometer using both temperature elevation and constant temperature methods to study the behaviors prior to flow and in the flow region. Flow behavior, measured at a constant temperature (200°C) and varying shear stress (from 1.0 to 5.0 × 10⁶ dyn/cm²) to evaluate melt viscosity and melt elasticity parameters, is discussed for its dependence on the nature of the blend. Extrudate distortion, studied as a function of shear stress to evaluate the critical shear stress for the onset of extrudate distortion, showed differences in the tendency for extrudate distortion or melt fracture of these different blends. Also discussed is the effect of melt viscosity and melt elasticity on extrudate distortion behavior at the critical condition, which showed a unique critical value of the ratio (melt elasticity parameter)^1/2 (melt viscosity) for all these blends. Blend morphologies before and after the flow through the capillary are investigated through scanning electron microscopy, and their correlations with rheological parameters of the melt are discussed.     

Tensile yield behavior of PP/SEBS blends

Tensile yield behavior of the blends of polypropylene (PP) and styrene–ethylene butylene–styrene block copolymer (SEBS) is studied in blend composition range 0–25 wt % SEBS. Three sets of samples, (i) solution-blended compression-molded (SBCM), (ii) melt-blended compression-molded (MBCM), and (iii) melt-blended injection-molded (MBIM), were studied to investigate the relative merits of solution blending and melt blending and the effect of subsequent mixing during injection moulding. Systematic changes with varying blend composition were found in stress–strain behavior in the yield region, viz., in yield stress, yield strain, width of yield peak, and work of yield. Growth of shear bands before necking also showed some systematic variation with blend composition. Shapes and sizes of dispersed-phase (SEBS) domains at various blend compositions were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Analysis of yield stress data on the basis of the various expressions of first power and two-thirds power laws of blend composition dependence and the porosity model (i.e., the exponential law) led to consistent results from all expressions about the variation of stress concentration effect in these sample sets; the stress concentration effect increased in the following order: MBIM < SBCM < MBCM. Furthermore, in addition to revealing relative suitability of the various expressions to the present system, this analysis also showed a transition around the blend composition 5 wt % SEBS from a continuous to a discontinuous structure. Solution blending produces lower degree of discontinuity in the structure of this two-phase blend than the melt blending, and this discontinuity in melt blended samples is reduced on subsequent mixing during injection-molding process.     

Rheological behavior comparison between PET/HDPE and PC/HDPE microfibrillar blends

The rheological behaviors of in situ microfibrillar blends, including a typical semicrystalline/semicrystalline (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)) and a typical amorphous/semicrystalline (polycarbonate (PC)/HDPE) polymer blend were investigated in this study. PET and PC microfibrils exhibit different influences on the rheological behaviors of microfibrillar blends. The viscosity of the microfibrillar blends increases with increased PET and PC concentrations. Surprisingly, the length/diameter ratio of the microfibrils as a result of the hot stretch ratio (HSR) has an opposite influence on the rheological behavior of the two microfibrillar blends. The stretched PET/HDPE blend exhibits higher viscosity than the unstretched counterpart, while the stretched PC/HDPE blend exhibits lower viscosity than the unstretched blend. The data obtained in this study will be helpful for constructing a technical foundation for the recycling and utilization of PET, PC, and HDPE waste mixtures by manufacturing microfibrillar blends in the future. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1231–1238, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

高能辐射对HDPE/PS/PVC共混体系的增容增韧作用

适用于二元体系的增容剂EVA和SEBS对三元体系的增容、增韧作用不明显，对HDPE/PS/PVC共混体系进行γ-射线辐射，使得体系相容性提高，抗冲击性能显著提高，断裂伸长率略有下降。照射产生的相互交联是增容、增韧的主因。     

Effect of polypropylene on the rheology of co‐continuous PS/SEBS blends

Polypropylene (PP) was added to a co‐continuous blend of polystyrene (PS) and styrene‐ethylene/butylene‐styrene (SEBS) to investigate the effect of PP on the morphology and rheological behavior of PS/SEBS blends. For this purpose, a reference blend of 50 wt% PS and 50 wt% SEBS was chosen and an isotactic PP was added to it by increments of 10 wt% up to a maximum of 50 wt% of the total weight. Environmental SEM (ESEM) studies on the PS/SEBS/PP blends showed that PP could be added up to 10 wt% without changing the morphology of the co‐continuous PS/SEBS blend, whereas at 20 wt% PP formed a separate discrete phase. The discrete PP phase finally formed a fully developed matrix structure from 40 wt% onwards. Dynamic rheological measurements showed that at low frequencies the storage modulus was largely unaffected by addition of PP in small concentrations (up to 10 wt%), showing a significant effect of the PP/SEBS interface at low deformation rates. Melt strength tests on the PS/SEBS/PP blends showed the existence of a proportional correlation with their corresponding storage moduli, measured at frequencies from 10–100 rad/s. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1432–1444, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

反应挤出就地增容HDPE/PS合金

在单螺杆挤出机上,利用路易斯酸实现了大分子间的Friedel—Crafts烷基化反应。考察了不同催化剂体系、催化剂用量及工艺条件对合金性能的影响。结果显示：对于质量比为70．0：30．0的高密度聚乙烯／聚苯乙烯合金体系,通过反应挤出,可以就地生成接枝共聚物;苯乙烯单体的加入有利于接枝物的形成;加入0．8份AlCl3、0．5份苯乙烯单体,控制合适的螺杆温度以及螺杆转速为60r／min时,合金的综合性能较好。     

HDPE/SEBS/oib-POSS复合材料的制备

采用直接共混法和母料共混法制备了高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)/苯乙烯-乙烯-丁二烯-苯乙烯嵌段共聚物(SEBS)/八异丁基笼形倍半硅氧烷(oib-POSS)复合材料。结果表明:oib-POSS可提高HDPE/SEBS的耐热性,其添加方式对HDPE/SEBS的耐热性影响不大;oib-POSS对HDPE的结晶温度与熔点影响较小,但结晶度随着oib-POSS用量的增加先上升后下降;采用母料共混法制备的HDPE/SEBS/oib-POSS复合材料的力学性能明显优于HDPE/SEBS以及采用直接共混法制备的HDPE/SEBS/oib-POSS复合材料。当w(oib-POSS)为4%时,HDPE/SEBS/oib-POSS复合材料的综合性能最佳,拉伸强度与悬臂梁缺口冲击强度较HDPE/SEBS分别提高了13.82%,65.38%。     

PP／PS／SEBS三元共混物的研究

以PS、SEBS为改性剂对PP进行改性。加入PS,体系的强度和刚度得到提高,断裂伸长率和冲击性能下降,对其改变的原因采用SEM进行了结构分析;SEBS是PS的良好相容剂,也是PP很好的增韧剂。同时使用PS和SEBS,体系拉伸强度为24．4MPa,弯曲模量810．6MPa,冲击强度82．0J／m,熔体流动速率12．7g/10min。     

Studies on binary and ternary blends of polypropylene with SEBS,PS, and HDPE. II. Tensile and impact properties

Studies are reported on tensile and impact properties of several binary and ternary blends of polypropylene (PP), styrene-b-ethylene-co-butylene-b-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polystyrene (PS). The blend compositions of the binary blends PP/X were 10 wt % X and 90 wt % PP, while those of the ternary blends PP/X/Y were 10 wt % of X and 90 wt % of PP/Y, or 10 wt % Y and 90 wt % PP/X (PP/Y and PP/X were of identical composition 90:10); X, Y being SEBS, HDPE, or PS. The results are interpreted for the effect of each individual component by comparing the binary blends with the reference system PP, and the ternary blends with the respective binary blends as the reference systems. The ternary blend PP/SEBS/HDPE showed properties distinctly superior to those of PP/SEBS/PS or the binary blends PP/SEBS and PP/HDPE. Differences in the tensile yield behavior of the different samples and their correlation with impact strength suggested shear yielding as the possible mechanism of enhancement of impact strength. Scanning electron microscopic study of the impact fractured surfaces also supports the shear yielding mechanism of impact toughening of these blends.     

HDPE/ROSIN blends: I-Morphology, thermal and dynamic-mechanical behavior

SUMMARY Morphological and thermal studies on high density polyethylene (HDPE) / glycerol ester of partially hydrogenated rosin (ester gum) blends reveal phase separation. Both thermal and dynamic-mechanical tests showed no shift of the HDPE glass transition temperature while the HDPE α_c transition appeared. The presence of an additional transition was also noticed as the second component increased in blends; this was attributed to a rosin component. The peak ascribed to this transition became broader in blends enriched with oligomer; it moved toward lower temperatures due to the dissolution of low molecular weight HDPE. The melting temperature and crystallinity of HDPE varied slightly with the amount of amorphous oligomeric component in the blends. Received: 7 May 1997/Revised version: 20 March 1998/Accepted: 14 April 1998     

聚苯乙烯/纳米TiO2/SEBS三元复合材料的制备及性能研究

采用熔融共混法制备了聚苯乙烯/纳米二氧化钛/氢化苯乙烯乙烯丁二烯苯乙烯共聚物（PS/纳米TiO2/SEBS）三元复合材料。研究了SEBS和纳米TiO2用量对复合材料力学性能、扭矩以及热性能的影响。利用扫描电子显微镜对复合材料冲击断面的微观形貌进行了研究。结果表明,PS/纳米TiO2/SEBS复合材料的冲击强度随SEBS含量的增加逐渐增大,拉伸强度随SEBS含量的增加逐渐减小。当PS与纳米TiO2的质量比为97/3、SEBS的用量为8份(质量份,下同)时,复合材料的综合力学性能最佳,其冲击强度为5.626 kJ/m2,拉伸强度为25.623 MPa;加入纳米TiO2和SEBS都使复合材料的热性能得到了提高;复合材料的最大扭矩与PS相比下降了17 N·m,平衡扭矩均为7 N·m;SEBS以颗粒状镶嵌到基质中,断口形貌为典型的韧性断裂。     

Compatibility of HDPE/postconsumer HDPE blends using compatibilizing agents

Mechanical properties, molecular weight, X‐ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) characterization of blends of virgin high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) with two types of recycled material were investigated. The recycled came from urban plastic waste; one kind was only washed and grounded and the other was extruded and pelletized to remove most of contaminant particles. Starting with the 30/70 virgin/grounded recycled and 50/50 virgin/pelletized recycled blends the recycled content was increased in both blends and compatibilizing agents were used to increase the blend performance. A mixture of phenolic antioxidants and phosphite costabilizers under the name of Recycloblend?, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) were used as compatibilizers. The effect of these additives and the recycled content on the performance of extrusion blow‐molded bottles was determined. The results suggest that blends of virgin/grounded recycled and virgin/pelletized recycled HDPE, in general, were not significantly different among each other and both had a quite similar behavior than the virgin HDPE when compatibilizing agents were used. The addition of compatibilizing agents yielded a material with properties similar to those for the virgin HDPE, helping to reduce the effect of polymers degradation on the rheological and mechanical behavior, with Recycloblend and LLDPE being the most effective for the blends with grounded recycled material, and LLDPE y EVA, for the blends with pelletized recycled. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3696–3706, 2006     

Fiber‐particle morphological transition and its effect on impact strength of PS/HDPE blends

A morphological analysis was performed to study the effect of postextrusion conditions on the properties of polystyrene (PS)/high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) blends. The results show that both draw ratio (DR) and water contact distance (X) have a definite influence on the morphology and mean failure energy (MFE) of 3, 6, and 9% PS in HDPE. In general, the MFE of the blends increases with DR up to a critical value, being function of the water contact distance, where substantial decreases are observed. It was found that deformation of the dispersed phase increases with DR, but decreases with water contact distance. However, morphological analysis of the dispersed phase shows that particle–fiber transition occurs at critical values of DR and X up to a point where fiber break‐up occurs. These morphological transitions can easily explain the impact strength behavior of the samples. Using normalized data, a master curve is proposed relating the postextrusion conditions to the MFE. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Thermal conductivities of blends of polyethylene/SEBS block copolymer and polystyrene/SEBS block copolymer

Thermal conductivities of two series of blends of polystyrene and styrene–ethylene/butyrene–styrene block copolymer (PS/SEBS), and polyethylene and styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer (PE/SEBS) were measured. Here the PS part and hydrogenated polybutadiene (EB; ethylene-butene-1 copolymer) part of SEBS were confirmed to be miscible in PS and PE homopolymers, respectively, by the differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal conductivity of PS/SEBS increased, while that of PE/SEBS blends decreased monotonically, with increasing SEBS content. No significant changes in the range where microphases usually occur were noted. The thermal conductivities of PS/SEBS and PE/SEBS were explained by modifications of our equation for composites. Thermal conductivity of EB in SEBS was estimated from that of PS/SEBS blend as 4.9 × 10^?4 cal/s cm °C. Further, the thermal conductivity of PE/SEBS could be predicted by substituting the obtained value of EB into the modified equation. Therefore, the modified equations were confirmed to be applicable to thermal conductivities of PE/SEBS and PE/SEBS blends. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Morphology studies of multilayered HDPE/PS systems

Films with alternating layers of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene (PS) were prepared by layer‐multiplying coextrusion, using two HDPEs differing in molecular weight. The crystal structure of extremely thin PE layers confined between PS layers was studied by small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXS), and also by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique including MDSC. The morphology of HDPE in the systems studied is greatly affected by the presence of HDPE/PS interfaces. In the HDPE layers, the texture component was observed with lamellae with their basal planes normal to the interface and (200) crystallographic planes parallel to the interface. Thus, the polymer chains in this texture component are parallel to the interface between both polymers. The small fraction of lamellae parallel to the interface in thicker HDPE layers disappears with the thinning of the layers beyond 100 nm. AFM images show in these samples straight, long lamellae positioned edge‐on at HDPE/PS interface. The thickness and perfection of lamellae decrease with the decrease of individual HDPE layer thickness. Those thinner and less perfect lamellae are more susceptible to reorganization during heating as it is observed by MDSC. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 597–612, 2006     

iPP/HDPE blends: Interactions at lower HDPE contents

Mechanical and rheological properties of blends of polypropylene (PP) and linear polyethylene (PE) were studied, with particular attention to the effects of aging of such mixtures. These two olefin polymers are basically incompatible. In PP-rich blends, addition of highdensity PE (HDPE) causes only a slight decrease in tensile properties and impact resistance of injection-molded specimens. In all cases, annealed specimens have higher moduli and lower impact strength than as-molded products. While none of these changes are very drastic, the addition of small amounts of HDPE was observed to result in a serious decrease of gate-region impact resistance of thin-walled moldings. Blends with 10–20% HDPE exhibited an unexpected interaction in tensile, thermal, and melt-flow properties as well as in crystallization behavior. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Microheterogeneity in PPO/PS blends

Proton spin magnetization relaxation in the rotating frame is a simple exponential for poly(2,6-dimethylphenyleneether) (PPO) (23K)/polystyrene (PS) (9K) blends of various compositions; these blends are truly homogeneous at the spin-diffusion distance scale of a few nanometers. Blends of PPO with high molecular weight PS exhibit nonexponential decays for the PS component but exponential decays for the PPO component, indicating compositional fluctuation for PS. In some blends, the relaxations are nonexponential for both components. Three factors have been identified to promote microheterogeneity of nanometer dimensions: high polymer molecular weight, increase of temperature, and preparation of blend using solvent that induces crystallization of PPO such as toluene.