Mechanical and Rheological Properties of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/ Polypropylene Blends

✍ Scribed by Cheung, Man Ken; Chan, David

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 417 KB
• Volume: 43
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0959-8103
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0126(199707)43:3<281::aid-pi800>3.0.co;2-q

✦ Synopsis

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polypropylene (PET/PP) were compounded and pelletized with a single-screw extruder. Standard ASTM tensile test specimens were made by injection moulding. The blends are stronger and sti †er than the plain PP specimens. The addition of a compatibilizer, EPOLENE E-43, is found to improve the strength and sti †ness of the blends at loadings of 50% and 70% PET. At 10% PET loading, E-43 has the opposite e †ect of slightly reducing the tensile properties. All the blends are more brittle relative to either plain PET or PP. The addition of E-43 results in negligible improvement in the elongation at break. E-43 is also found to be an e †ective lubricant in improving the processability of the blends. The blends with E-43 added have lower viscosities and less shear-thinning characteristics than those without E-43.