A Vitrimer Acts as a Compatibilizer for Polyethylene and Polypropylene Blends
[2]
- Department of Chemistry University of California Irvine California 92697 United States
- Department of Chemistry University of California Irvine California 92697 United States, Department of Materials Science and Engineering Irvine California 92697 United States, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Irvine California 92697 United States
Abstract Polymer compatibilization plays a critical role in achieving polymer blends with favorable mechanical properties and enabling efficient recycling of mixed plastic wastes. Nonetheless, traditional compatibilization methods often require tailored designs based on the specific chemical compositions of the blends. In this study, we propose a new approach for compatibilizing polymer blends using a dynamically crosslinked polymer network, known as vitrimers. By adding a relatively small amount (1–5 w/w%) of a vitrimer made of siloxane‐crosslinked high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), we successfully compatibilized unmodified HDPE and isotactic polypropylene (iPP). The vitrimer‐compatibilized blend exhibited enhanced elongation at break (120 %) and smaller iPP domain sizes (0.4 μm) compared to the control blend (22 % elongation at break, 0.9 μm iPP droplet size). Moreover, the vitrimer‐compatibilized blend showed significantly improved microphase stability during annealing at 180 °C. This straightforward method shows promise for applications across various polymer blend systems.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NONE; FG02-04ER46162
- OSTI ID:
- 2336638
- Journal Information:
- Angewandte Chemie, Journal Name: Angewandte Chemie; ISSN 0044-8249
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
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