iPP/HDPE blends. II. Modification with EPDM and EVA

✍ Scribed by H. P. Blom; J. W. Teh; A. Rudin

• Book ID: 102654988
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 966 KB
• Volume: 60
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19960531)60:9<1405::aid-app16>3.0.co;2-0

✦ Synopsis

Past work has shown that addition of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to polypropylene (PP) resulted in a significant reduction in the elongation at break and in the gate-region impact strength of injection molded articles. In this study, we report on the compatibilization of these blends with ethylene/propylene/dene monomer (EPDM) or ethylene/vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers. EPDM is effective at improving the impact strength and gate puncture resistance of a 90/10 PP/HDPE blend. EVA, on the other hand, is effective at improving the impact strength and the elongation at break of this material. It was also found that EVA is a better impact modifier for PP than is EPDM. DSC analysis indicated that EPDM, when blended with PP, caused a significant reduction in the degree of crystallinity of the PP. This was not observed in the case of EVA/PP blends. Further, our results indicate that care must be taken in designating a particular material as a better compatibilizer than some other material. It is crucial that conditions be attached to the label compatibilizer, indicating in particular the desired mechanical properties of the blend.