Effect of mixing temperature on the dispersion and degradation behaviors of HDPE/UHMWPE blends
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Shiori Watanabe
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Sayaka Yamada
Abstract
There is currently considerable interest in high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) blends as recyclable all-polyolefin materials with favorable mechanical properties that can be processed by continuous melt-mixing. Optimal mixing is required to improve the mechanical properties of polymer blends by ensuring their dispersibility and low degradation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of mixing temperature on the dispersion and degradation behaviors of HDPE/UHMWPE blends. Neat HDPE and a HDPE blend comprising 5 % UHMWPE were obtained by melt-mixing while changing the input energy in an internal batch mixer under a nitrogen atmosphere. The temperature of the mixer was set at 200 °C for neat HDPE, and at 180, 200, and 220 °C for the HDPE/UHMWPE blends. Optical microscopy and thermal analysis revealed that the dispersion of UHMWPE in HDPE was accelerated at higher mixing temperatures. However, in the high input energy range, mixing at 200 °C resulted in the most favorable dispersion. Gel permeation chromatography and rheological measurements suggested that chain scission and branching/crosslinking due to degradation were accelerated at higher mixing temperatures, even when mixing in a nitrogen atmosphere. Chemiluminescence measurements suggested that chain scission and branching/crosslinking were caused by an initial oxidation reaction. Furthermore, for the same input energy, the maximum shear stress increased as the mixing temperature decreased, but the mixing time and thermal history increased as the mixing temperature increased. The results suggest that in a blend comprising HDPE and UHMWPE, mixing at the molecular level due to high temperature and fine dispersion of UHMWPE due to shear stress proceed simultaneously. On the other hand, the results also confirmed that degradation was more influenced by the promotion of oxidation due to high temperatures and prolonged mixing than by shear stress.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: The author(s) have (has) accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The author(s) state(s) no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Review Article
- A comprehensive review on residence time distributions in co-rotating twin-screw extrusion
- Research Articles
- Tearing properties, crystallization behavior, microstructure, and morphology of LLDPE with different short branched chain distributions
- Synergistic modification of hydrolyzed keratin-based rigid polyurethane foam with zinc stannate and aluminum hypophosphite to improve its thermal stability and flame retardant properties
- Effect of mixing temperature on the dispersion and degradation behaviors of HDPE/UHMWPE blends
- Properties of polyphenylene sulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites: a comparison between compression molding and microinjection molding
- Improvement of the thermal and mechanical behaviour of polystyrene (PS)-based nanocomposite films by modification of the composition and type of nanofiller
- Thermally conductive, mechanically robust alumina-incorporated polyurethane films prepared by ultraviolet light curing
- Flame retardant polyurethane foam prepared from compatible blends of ammonium ligninsulfonate-based and zinc alginate
- Optical, electrical, dielectric and mechanical properties of microcrystalline cellulose/starch based biocomposite films
- An innovative multilayered material fabricated through additive manufacturing for structural applications: method and mechanical properties
