The effect of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) on the thermal degradation of polystyrene (PS)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) blends have been investigated. Polystyrene and ...(HDPE) are widely used thermoplastics, which have extensive application in everyday life. The main disadvantage of PS/PE systems is their poor miscibility which can be improved by adding compatibilizer. The blends were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder Haake Record 90. The behavior of the thermal degradation of PS/HDPE and PS/HDPE/SEBS blends has been investigated in inert nitrogen atmosphere by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to obtain the degradation temperature and activation energy (E
a
). The Ea for the PS/HDPE blends as well as for the PS/HDPE/SEBS blends was determined by the isoconversional Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) method. The results indicated that the HDPE enhance thermal properties of the blends. The addition of SEBS in PS/HDPE blends increased the E
a
in all blends.
The effect of UV irradiation and micro- and nano-TiO sub(2) as well as titanate nanotubes (TiNT) on the phase morphology and thermal properties of the electrospun PCL composite fibers was ...investigated. Polycaprolactone (PCL)/TiO sub(2) (micro- and nano-TiO sub(2) as well as titanate nanotubes) composite fibers were prepared by electrospinning a polymer solution. The PCL and PCL/TiO sub(2) composite fibers were exposed to UV light at irradiation times of 5 and 10 days. After UV irradiation the crystallinity of the electrospun PCL/TiNTcomposite fibers increased because of the large specific surface area of TiNT. The thermal stability of the PCL/TiNT electrospun composite fibers increased due to the formation of crosslinking structure after UV irradiation. The SEM analysis suggests that after UV radiation the fibers showed high degree of degradation due to the high number of fibers breakages and fibers surface voids. The results of FTIR spectroscopy confirmed that the TiO sub(2) particles enhance the degradation process because of their photocatalytic activity. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43539.
Blends of polypropylene (PP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with and without ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer as a compatibilizer were studied. Mechanical properties were chosen to ...estimate the compatibilization efficiency of EPDM. The interactions between phases were valued through glass transition shifts in dynamic mechanical spectra, and morphology of the blends was obtained using scanning electron microscopy. Interfacial adhesion was improved by EPDM addition. Addition of EPDM to PP/LDPE blends improved mechanical properties, especially Izod impact strength in LDPE-rich blends and with higher EPDM content.
The influence of blend composition and ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM) content on the processing parameters, phase structure and thermal behaviour of polypropylene (PP) and low-density ...polyethylene (LDPE) blends was studied. Processing parameters of blends in twin-screw extruder were followed by output (Q), torque (TQ) and back pressure (p), and apparent viscosity as given by TQ/Q and p/Q ratios, while the thermal behaviour was measured using differential scanning calorimetry. Phase structure was investigated using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The degree of crystallinity (χ
c) of PP phase decreased and χ
c of LDPE phase increased with higher LDPE content in blends with and without EPDM. STEM micrographs of EPDM compatibilized PP/LDPE blends of compositions 80/20 and 20/80 showed particulate morphology, whereas in the blends of compositions 60/40 and 40/60 the morphology was co-continuous. The EPDM compatibilizer was localized on the interface.
