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Effect of compatibilizer type on the properties of thermoplastic elastomers based on recycled polyethylene at high ground tire rubber content

  • Roberto C. Vázquez-Fletes , Youhong Wang , Rubén González-Núñez and Denis Rodrigue EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: February 12, 2025
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 40 Issue 2

Abstract

In this study, compatibilized thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) based on recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and high ground tire rubber (GTR) content (70, 80 and 90 wt%) were prepared by twin-screw extrusion followed by injection molding. The main objective of the work was to use three different compatibilizers and to compare their efficiency: ethylene-octene copolymer (Engage 8180), styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) (Kraton FG1901X) and a trans-polyoctenamer (Vestenamer 8012). A morphological analysis showed that the addition of a compatibilizer produced more homogeneous structures, significantly improving mechanical performance compared with their uncompatibilized counterparts. This modification had a direct effect on all the properties, especially the tensile properties which were evaluated at different crosshead speeds (10, 50, 100 and 500 mm/min) to better see differences in the interfacial state. High elongations at break exceeding 100 % for highly filled recycled blends (up to 90 wt% of GTR) with Kraton FG1901X were obtained, highlighting superior compatibility efficiency. In general, adding GTR to recycled PE produced a more elastic TPE. Increasing the GTR concentration led to lower modulus (from 300 MPa for R-PE to 50 MPa for 70 % GTR). The main conclusion of the work was that injection molding of TPE with high GTR content (above 70 %) was only possible by adding compatibilizers. Nevertheless, the best performance to produce high GTR content TPE was obtained using Kraton FG1901X probably due to its grafted functionality (maleic anhydride, MA) leading to better interfacial interactions between the phases.

Keywords: recycled polyethylene; ground tire rubber; compatibilization; morphology; mechanical properties
Corresponding author: Denis Rodrigue, Department of Chemical Engineering and CERMA, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, G1V0A6, Canada, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: All research has been carried out in conformance with the highest international and local standards of rigor and integrity.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: Conceptualization: Denis Rodrigue, Youhong Wang; investigation: Youhong Wang, Roberto C. Vazquez Fletes; Data curation: Denis Rodrigue, Ruben Gonzalez Nunez, Roberto C. Vazquez Fletes. The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: The authors acknowledge the financial support of the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT) for scholarships (711143 and 740545) and Y. Wang for a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-08-21
Accepted: 2024-12-23
Published Online: 2025-02-12
Published in Print: 2025-05-26

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2024-0110
Keywords for this article
recycled polyethylene; ground tire rubber; compatibilization; morphology; mechanical properties

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Corrosion resistive conducting polymeric nanocomposite-based coatings on steel: a mechanistic insight
  4. Research Articles
  5. Effect of compatibilizer type on the properties of thermoplastic elastomers based on recycled polyethylene at high ground tire rubber content
  6. Analyzing the effects of solid fraction and heat treatment on the mechanical properties of 3D printed polymer lattices
  7. Effect of polyvinyl acetate on the properties of biodegradable thermoplastic starch/polyethylene glycol blends
  8. A color masterbatch assistance system for optimizing product color by masterbatch addition in injection molding of post-industrial recyclates
  9. Enhancing 3D printing with composite filaments incorporating electronic waste: a study on flexural and compression strength
  10. Development of enhanced co-continuous PVDF/PET nanocomposites via synergistic effects of graphite particle size, hybrid systems, and reduced graphene oxide
  11. Integration of nanographene and action of fiber sequences on functional behaviour of composite laminates
  12. Effect of chain branching on the rheological properties of HDPE/LLDPE and HDPE/LDPE blends under shear and elongational flows and evaluation of die swell and flow instabilities
  13. Effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) on low velocity impact properties of hybrid kevlar/basalt fiber reinforced epoxy based composites
  14. Sustainability in rotational molding: a study on recycling and the influence of additives
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