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Melt Viscosity (melt + viscosity)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Polymers and Materials Science	95%

Selected Abstracts

Polyamide 66 binary and ternary nanocomposites: Mechanical and morphological properties

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
Miray Mert
Abstract Polyamide 66 (PA 66)/impact modifier blends and polyamide/organoclay binary and PA 66/organoclay/impact modifier ternary nanocomposites were prepared by the melt-compounding method, and the effects of the mixing sequences on the morphology and mechanical and flow properties were investigated. Lotader AX8840 and Lotader AX8900 were used as impact modifiers. The concentrations of the impact modifiers and the organoclay (Cloisite 25A) were maintained at 2 and 5 wt %, respectively. Both the binary and ternary nanocomposites displayed high tensile strength and Young's modulus values compared to the PA 66/impact modifier blends. Decreases occurred in the strength and stiffness of the binary nanocomposites upon incorporation of the elastomeric materials into the polymeric matrix. In general, the mixing sequence in which all three ingredients were added simultaneously and extruded twice (the All-S mixing sequence) exhibited the most enhanced mechanical properties in comparison with the mixing sequences in which two of the components were extruded in the first extrusion step and the third ingredient was added in the second extrusion step. The mechanical test results were in accordance with the organoclay dispersion. The impact strength was highly affected by the elastomeric domain sizes, interdomain distances, interfacial interactions, and organoclay delamination. The smallest elastomeric domain size was obtained for the All-S mixing sequence, whereas the elastomeric domain sizes of the other mixing sequences were quite close to each other. Drastic variations were not observed between the melt viscosities of the ternary nanocomposites prepared with different mixing sequences. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source]

Cyclic polymers: Synthetic strategies and physical properties

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 2 2010
Hans R. Kricheldorf
Abstract Syntheses of cyclic polymers including cyclic homopolymers, cyclic block copolymers, sun-shaped polymers, and tadpole polymers are discussed on the basis of a differentiation between synthetic methods and synthetic strategies (e.g., polycondensation, ring,ring equilibration, or ring-expansion polymerization). Furthermore, all synthetic methods are classified as kinetically or thermodynamically controlled reactions. Characteristic properties of cyclic polymers such as smaller hydrodynamic volume, lower melt viscosities, and higher thermostabilities are compared to the properties of their linear counterparts. Furthermore, the nanophase separation of cyclic diblock copolymers is discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 251,284, 2010 [source]

Phenylethynyl End-Capped Fluorinated Imide Oligomer AFR-PEPA- N: Morphology and Processibility Characteristics

MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2007
Yuntao Li
Abstract Two phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride-capped imide oligomers, AFR-PEPA-2 and AFR-PEPA-8, with molecular weights of 1,601 and 4,699 g,·,mol,1, respectively, were synthesized and characterized. The AFR-PEPA- N oligomers show higher glass transition temperatures and higher thermal decomposition temperatures than phenylethynyl-terminated imide PETI-5. After curing for 1 h at 390,°C, AFR-PEPA-2 and AFR-PEPA-8 have Tgs of 370 and 358,°C, respectively. AFR-PEPA- N oligomers demonstrated lower minimum complex melt viscosities than PETI-5 due to the presence of CF3 group in the backbone structure. 1,601 g,·,mol,1 AFR-PEPA-2 imide oligomer has a complex melt viscosity of 10 Pa,·,s at 340,°C, and 4,699 g,·,mol,1 AFR-PEPA-8 imide oligomer has a complex melt viscosity of 227 Pa,·,s at 371,°C. AFR-PEPA- N film's crystal morphology was observed using polarized optical microscopy and the AFR-PEPA-8 oligomer did not show crystallinity. AFR-PEPA-2 film exhibits semicrystalline behavior and the crystallinity does not disappear until the film is cured above 375,°C. [source]

Rheological behavior of gel-filled raw natural rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber with reference to gel-matrix intermixing

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009
Suman Mitra
Natural rubber (NR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latex gels were prepared by sulfur prevulcanization technique with varying amounts of curing agent and accelerator systems to generate gradient in crosslink density. These gels were characterized by solvent swelling, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and mechanical properties. Crosslinked NR gels were intermixed with neat SBR matrix and vice versa. Rheological behavior of chemically crosslinked gel-filled NR and SBR was studied by capillary rheometry. Intermixing of crosslinked gels in the rubber matrices resulted in a considerable reduction in apparent shear viscosity and die swell values. This behavior was found to be dependent on several factors like gel concentration in the matrix, crosslink density of the gels, their size, and distribution. The effect of temperature on viscosity was studied extensively following the Arrhenious-Eyring model. A shear rate-temperature superposition mastercurve was constructed to predict the melt viscosities of the systems as a function of temperature. The change in die swell values was related to the change in first normal stress difference. The scanning electron photomicrographs of the extrudates revealed that presence of gels markedly improved the surface roughness of the raw rubbers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Measurement and prediction of LDPE/CO2 solution viscosity

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 11 2002
Surat Areerat
When CO2 is dissolved into a polymer, the viscosity of the polymer is drastically reduced. In this paper, the melt viscosities of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/supercritical CO2 solutions were measured with a capillary rheometer equipped at a foaming extruder, where CO2 was injected into a middle of its barrel and dissolved into the molten LDPE. The viscosity measurements were performed by varying the content of CO2 in the range of 0 to 5.0 wt% and temperature in the range of 150°C to 175°C, while monitoring the dissolved CO2 concentration on-line by Near Infrared spectroscopy. Pressures in the capillary tube were maintained higher than an equilibrium saturation pressure so as to prevent foaming in the tube and to realize single-phase polymer/CO2 solutions. By measuring the pressure drop and flow rate of polymer running through the tube, the melt viscosities were calculated. The experimental results indicated that the viscosity of LDPE/CO2 solution was reduced to 30% of the neat polymer by dissolving CO2 up to 5.0 wt% at temperature 150°C. A mathematical model was proposed to predict viscosity reduction owing to CO2 dissolution. The model was developed by combining the Cross-Carreau model with Doolittle's equation in terms of the free volume concept. With the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state and the solubility data measured by a magnetic suspension balance, the free volume fractions of LDPE/CO2 solutions were calculated to accommodate the effects of temperature, pressure and CO2 content. The developed model can successfully predict the viscosity of LDPE/CO2 solutions from PVT data of the neat polymer and CO2 solubility data. [source]

Comparison of volatile emissions and structural changes of melt reprocessed polypropylene resins

ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
Q. Xiang
Abstract Polypropylene (PP), as a commodity recyclable thermoplastic, was studied in this research to evaluate the potential environmental impact resulting from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during multiple melt reprocessing. Unstabilized PP (U-PP) and stabilized PP (S-PP) resins, simulating recycled materials prone to degradation, were evaluated for total VOC emissions generated during multiple melt reprocessing by injection molding and extrusion, respectively. Results show that the maximum amount of total VOCs from each cycle (up to six cycles for extrusion and up to ten for injection molding) did not significantly change, while the cumulative VOCs increased with increasing processing cycle for both materials. A good correlation between cumulative VOC increases and melt flow index increase for the U-PP and weight-average molecular weight Mw decrease for the S-PP were obtained. Reprocessing in all cases was accompanied by decreases in Mw and melt viscosity as a result of thermooxidative degradation. FTIR data considering increases in carbonyl content and degree of unsaturation suggest that at equivalent cycle numbers, degradation appears to be more severe for the extruded material in spite of the longer oxidative induction time of the "as received" pellets used in extrusion. The onset and type of structural changes are shown to depend on cycle number and reprocessing method. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 235,242, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10027 [source]

Synthesis, characterization, and comparison of properties of novel fluorinated poly(imide siloxane) copolymers

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 3 2008
Anindita Ghosh
Abstract Four new poly(imide siloxane) copolymers were prepared by a one-pot solution imidization method at a reaction temperature of 180°C in ortho -dichlorobenzene as a solvent. The polymers were made through the reaction of o -diphthaleic anhydride with four different diamines,4,4,-bis(p -aminophenoxy-3,3,-trifluoromethyl) terphenyl, 4,4,-bis(3,-trifluoromethyl- p -aminobiphenyl ether)biphenyl, 2,6-bis(3,-trifluoromethyl- p -aminobiphenyl ether)pyridine, and 2,5-bis(3,-trifluoromethyl- p -aminobiphenylether)thiopene,and aminopropyl-terminated poly dimethylsiloxane as a comonomer. The polymers were named 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d, respectively. The synthesized polymers showed good solubility in different organic solvents. The resulting polymers were well characterized with gel permeation chromatography, IR, and NMR techniques. 1H-NMR indicated that the siloxane loading was about 36%, although 40 wt % was attempted. 29Si-NMR confirmed that the low siloxane incorporation was due to a disproportionation reaction of the siloxane chain that resulted in a lowering of the siloxane block length. The films of these polymers showed low water absorption of 0.02% and a low dielectric constant of 2.38 at 1 MHz. These polyimides showed good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures (5% weight loss) up to 460°C in nitrogen. Transparent, thin films of these poly(imide siloxane)s exhibited tensile strengths up to 30 MPa and elongations at break up to 103%, which depended on the structure of the repeating unit. The rheological properties showed ease of processability for these polymers with no change in the melt viscosity with the temperature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source]

Studies on rheology and morphology of POE/PP thermoplastic elastomer dynamically crosslinked by peroxide

JOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
Bo Yuan
An ethylene-octene copolymer (POE)/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic elastomer was prepared through dynamically crosslinking by 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-dilbuty (Peroxy) hexane (DHBP). The effects of DHBP concentration, POE/PP ratio, melt flow index (MFI) of PP, and mixer rotation on rheology and morphology of the thermoplastic elastomer were studied. The results showed that with increasing DHBP concentration or POE content, the size of crosslinked particles as well as the melt viscosity increased. Furthermore, agglomerates or a network structure formed as the size of crosslinked particles increased. The melt viscosity also increased as MFI of PP decreased, while the size of crosslinked particles decreased under the same condition. Research on the morphology of dynamically crosslinked POE/PP thermoplastic elastomer flowing through a capillary rheometer at different shear rates show that the reprocessing had little effect on the morphology of dynamically crosslinked elastomer. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source]

Functionalization of LDPE by Melt Grafting with Glycidyl Methacrylate and Reactive Blending with Polyamide-6

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 8 2003
Qian Wei
Abstract Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was functionalized by melt radical grafting with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and employed for reactive blending with polyamide-6 (PA6). The effect of the reaction procedure on the grafting degree of LDPE- g -GMA samples (0.5,12.5 wt.-% GMA) was analyzed as a function of the concentration of GMA monomer, radical initiator (BTP), and addition of styrene as co-monomer. Optimized grafting conditions were obtained when the amount of the monomer is below 10 wt.-% and that of peroxide in the range 0.2,0.4 wt.-%. Binary blends of PA6 with LDPE- g -GMA (3.5 wt.-% GMA) and with LDPE at various compositions (80/20, 67/33, 50/50 wt.-%) were prepared in an internal mixer and their properties were evaluated by torque, SEM and DSC analyses. Morphological examination by SEM showed a large improvement of phase dispersion and interfacial adhesion in PA6/LDPE- g -GMA blends as compared with PA6/LDPE blends. The average diameter of dispersed polyolefin particles was about 0.4 ,m for LDPE- g -GMA contents <,50 wt.-%. A marked increase of melt viscosity was observed for the compatibilized blends depending on the concentration of grafted polyolefin, and it was accounted for by the reaction between the epoxy groups of GMA and the carboxyl/amine end-groups of PA6. The variation of torque was thus related to the molar ratio of reactive group concentration. The analysis of crystallization and melting behavior pointed out marked differences in the phase structure of the blends due to the presence of the functionalized polyolefin. Finally, the in situ formation of a graft copolymer between LDPE- g -GMA and PA6 was investigated by means of a selective dissolution method (Molau test) and by FT-IR and DSC analyses. SEM micrograph of fracture surface of PA6/LDPE- g -GMA 50/50 blend. [source]

Phenylethynyl End-Capped Fluorinated Imide Oligomer AFR-PEPA- N: Morphology and Processibility Characteristics

Characterization of Ethylene Copolymers with Liquid Chromatography and Melt Rheology Methods

MACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2009
Yefim Brun
Abstract Summary: Melt rheology and polymer chromatography methods were applied to characterize molecular heterogeneities in products of free radical copolymerization of ethylene with methyl acrylate and vinyl acetate comonomers performed in continuously stirred tank and tubular reactors. We found that the ethylene,vinyl acetate copolymers made in both reactors had similar linear viscoelastic properties typical to branched products of the high pressure process. But the ethylene,methyl acrylate copolymers obtained in the tubular reactor had unusually high melt viscosity at low shear rate and much lower onset of shear thinning despite the narrower molecular weight distribution and the lower overall amount of long-chain branches compare to their autoclave counterparts with similar average molecular weight and chemical composition. Using interaction polymer chromatography method called gradient elution at critical point of adsorption we found that ethylene-acrylate copolymers from the tubular reactor had very broad chemical composition distribution, which was consistent with a significant difference in reactivity ratios between ethylene and acrylate comonomers. Such chemical composition heterogeneity can be a reason for the observed unusual rheological properties of these copolymers. [source]

Reactive processing of syndiotactic polystyrene with an epoxy/amine solvent system

MACROMOLECULAR SYMPOSIA, Issue 1 2003
Jaap Schut
Abstract Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) is a new semi-crystalline thermoplastic which is believed to fill the price-performance gap between engineering and commodity plastics. In order to reduce the high processing temperature of sPS (>290°C), an epoxy-amine model system was used as a reactive solvent. Such a processing aid can be used to achieve a 50 to 500 fold lowering of the melt viscosity. When initially homogeneous solutions of sPS in a stoechiometric epoxy-amine mixture are thermally cured, Reaction Induced Phase Separation (RIPS) takes place, leading to phase separated thermoplastic-thermoset polymer blends. We focus our study on low (wt% sPS < 20%) and high concentration blends (wt% sPS > 60%) prepared by two processing techniques (mechanical stirring in a laboratory reactor or internal mixer/ reactive extrusion respectively). These blends have different potential interests. Low concentration blends (sPS domains in an epoxy-amine matrix) are prepared to create new, tunable blend morphologies by choosing the nature of the phase separation process, i.e. either crystallisation followed by polymerization or polymerization followed crystallisation. High concentration blends (sPS matrix containing dispersed epoxy-amine particles after RIPS) are prepared to facilitate the extrusion of sPS. In this case, the epoxy amine model system served as a reactive solvent. The time to the onset of RIPS is in the order of 7-9 min for low concentration blends, while it increases to 20-45 min for high concentration samples, as the reaction rates are substantially slowed down due to lower epoxy and amine concentrations. During the curing reaction the melting temperature of sPS in the reactive solvent mixture evolves back from a depressed value to the level of pure sPS. This indicates a change in the composition of the sPS phase, caused by (complete) phase separation upon reaction. We conclude that our epoxy amine system is suited for reactive processing of sPS, where final properties depend strongly on composition and processing conditions. [source]

Surface modification of bagasse fibers by silane coupling agents through microwave oven and its effects on physical, mechanical, and rheological properties of PP bagasse fiber composite

POLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 6 2007
S.A. Hashemi
Polypropylene/bagasse fiber composites were prepared by compounding polypropylene (PP) with bagasse fibers as reinforcing filler. Surfaces of fibers were modified through the use of silane coupling agents (Vinyltrimethoxysilane and ,-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane). The fiber coating was performed by mixing of silane with fibers and cured through microwave oven in presence of catalyst. It was found that modification of surface fiber will change the physical, mechanical, morphological, and rheological properties of composite. It was observed from scanning electron microscopy that fiber adhesion to matrix has been improved and so as dispersion. Addition of fibers increases the melt viscosity in unmodified fibers but reduced the melt viscosity for modified fibers and even the viscosity is lower at higher loading compared with unmodified fibers. The tensile strength and tensile modulus increased in modified fibers compared with the unmodified on the same loading, but elongation at break decreased. The effect of coupling agent on properties of filled PP depend on the content of coupling agents and optimum amount was achieve through measurement of water absorption. Two types of coupling agents were used, one as A-171 [CH2CHSi (OCH3)3] and second one as A-187 [CH2OCHCH2O (CH2)3Si(OCH3)], the first one shows better adhesion to the fibers and improvements in mechanical properties are much better compared with the second one. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:713,721, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Polymerization compounding composites of nylon-6,6/short glass fiber

POLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 4 2003
Wei Feng
Nylon-6,6 was grafted onto the surface of short glass fibers through the sequential reaction of adipoyl chloride and hexamethylenediamine onto the fiber surface. Grafted and unsized short glass fibers (USGF) were used to prepare composites with nylon-6,6 via melt blending. The glass fibers were found to act as nucleating agents for the nylon-6,6 matrix. Grafted glass fiber composites have higher crystallization temperatures than USGF composites, indicating that grafted nylon-6,6 molecules further increase crystallization rate of composites. Grafted glass fiber composites were also found to have higher tensile strength, tensile modulus, dynamic storage modulus, and melt viscosity than USGF composites. Property enhancement is attributed to improved wetting and interactions between the nylon-6,6 matrix and the modified surface of glass fibers, which is supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The glass transition (tan ,) temperatures extracted from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) are found to be unchanged for USGF, while in the case of grafted glass fiber, tan , increases with increasing glass fiber contents. Moreover, the peak values (i.e., intensity) of tan , are slightly lower for grafted glass fiber composites than for USGF composites, further indicating improved interactions between the grafted glass fibers and nylon-6,6 matrix. The Halpin-Tsai and modified Kelly-Tyson models were used to predict the tensile modulus and tensile strength, respectively. [source]

Reactive compatibilization of biodegradable poly(lactic acid)/poly(,-caprolactone) blends with reactive processing agents

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 7 2008
Masaki Harada
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended with poly(,-caprolactone) (PCL) was prepared with various reactive processing agents. Four isocyanates-lysine triisocyanate (LTI); lysine diisocyanate (LDI); 1,3,5-tris(6-isocyanatohexyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trione (Duranate TPA-100); 1,3,5-tris(6-isocyanatohexyl)biuret (Duranate 24A-100)-and an industrial epoxide-trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether (Epiclon 725)-were used as reactive processing agents. PLA/PCL blended in the presence of LTI had the highest torque in a mixer test. The test specimens were prepared by injection molding. The mechanical properties, thermal properties, molecular weight, melt viscosity, phase behavior, and morphology were investigated using tensile strength, impact strength, differential scanning calorimetry, melt mass-flow rate measurements, capillary rheometery, gel permeation chromatography, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), and visco-elasticity atomic force microscopy (VE-AFM). The impact strength increased considerably at 20 wt% PCL. The nominal tensile strain of PLA/PCL blended with LTI increased by 270%. The MFR values of PLA/PCL blends decreased with increasing LTI. Similar results were observed for shear viscosity. LSCM measurements showed that the diameters of PCL were dispersed about 0.4 ,m in the presence of LTI. VE-AFM showed that spherical particles with diameters of 50 nm were PCL-rich domain. These results indicate that isocyanate groups of LTI react with both terminal hydroxyl or carboxyl groups of polymers, and the compatibility of PLA/PCL blends improves with LTI by reactive processing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Rheological characterization of HDPE/sisal fiber composites

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 10 2007
Smita Mohanty
The present paper summarizes an experimental study on the molten viscoelastic behavior of HDPE/sisal composites under steady and dynamic mode. Variations of the melt viscosity and die swell of the composites with an increase in shear rate, fiber loading, and coupling agent concentration have been investigated using capillary rheometer. The shear rate , at the wall was calculated using Rabinowitsch correction applied to the apparent shear rate values. It was observed that the melt viscosity of the composites increased with the addition of fibers and maleic anhydride-grafted PE (MAPE). Die swell of HDPE also decreased with the addition of sisal fibers and MAPE. Further, the dynamic viscoelastic behavior of the composites was measured employing parallel plate rheometer. Time,temperature superposition was applied to generate various viscoelastic master curves. Temperature sweeps were also carried out to study the flow activation energy determined from Arrhenius equation. The fiber,matrix morphology of the extrudates was also examined using scanning electron microscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1634,1642, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Effect of diatomite/polyethylene glycol binary processing aid on the melt fracture and the rheology of polyethylenes

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 7 2005
Xiaolong Liu
The influence of polyethylene (PE) glycol (PEG), diatomite, and diatomite/PEG binary processing aid (BPA) on the rheological properties and the sharkskin melt fracture of three PEs was studied using a capillary rheometer. When diatomite or PEG is added to the PE matrix, they have little effect on the viscosity reduction of PEs, while the diatomite/PEG BPA shows a synergetic effect on the viscosity reduction of PEs. The incorporation of small amount of BPA was found to increase the shear-thinning behavior and decrease the melt viscosity significantly. Meanwhile, the critical apparent shear rate for the onset of sharkskin melt fracture of PEs is increased. The mechanism for BPA to improve the rheological properties and the melt flow instability of PEs was discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:898,903, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Thickness uniformity of HDPE blown film: Relation to rheological properties and density

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2004
Hiroyuki Higuchi
Previous work has elucidated that the wall slip velocity and viscosity of polymer melts influence the thickness uniformity of blown film. The present study investigates the effects of the stress dependence of wall slip, the shear thinning and the density on the uniformity. We have prepared high-density polyethylenes with a variety of molecular weight distributions, which have different rheological properties. Examination of the thickness uniformity of their blown film has shown that the uniformity is correlated with wall slip velocity, the stress dependence of the velocity, melt viscosity, shear thinning and density; the coefficient of the correlation is determined to be 0.990. The reason why the stress dependence of wall slip and the shear thinning affect the uniformity is explained in terms of polymer melt flow behavior in a die, while the effect of density is interpreted considering bubble fluctuation in the blow-up process. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:965,972, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source]

Blends of nylon/acrylonitrile butadiene rubber: Effects of blend ratio, dynamic vulcanization and reactive compatibilization on rheology and extrudate morphology

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 9 2003
C. Radhesh Kumar
The melt flow behavior of thermoplastic elastomers from nylon and nitrile rubber (NBR) was studied as a function of blend ratio, dynamic crosslinking, compatibilization and temperature. The morphology of the extrudates, i.e., the size, shape and distribution of the domains, was analyzed. Uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends showed pseudoplastic behavior. The viscosity of the blends showed positive deviation from a linear rule of mixtures. Compatibilization using chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) increased the melt viscosity of the blends. The addition of the compatibilizer decreased the domain size of the dispersed phase, followed by an increase after a critical concentration of the compatibilizer, where the interface was saturated. The influence of dynamic vulcanization on the rheological behavior was also studied. The extrudate morphology depended on blend ratio, compatibilization and shear rate. [source]

Micro- and macrorheological properties of polypropylene-polyoxymethylene-copolyamide mixture melts

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 6 2001
M. V. Tsebrenko
The influence of polyoxymethylene (POM) additives on micro- and macrorheological properties of polypropylene-copolyamide (PP/CPA) mixture melts with the PP/CPA ratios of 40/60 and 20/80 wt% was investigated. We have shown that the microrheological processes such as deformation of dispersed polymer droplets and formation of liquid polymer streams, coalescence of these streams along the longitudinal direction, migration, and fracture of the liquid streams into droplets can be controlled by addition of a third component that may interact with CPA in a specific manner. The ternary mixture melt viscosity was greater than that of the binary mixture melt viscosity. The degree of viscosity increase depended upon the composition of the binary mixture, the value of shear stress, and POM content. This dependence may be explained by formation of hydrogen bonds between POM and CPA macromolecules. The addition of POM improved the specific PP fiber formation in the matrix of CPA. The latter is valid even for a composition (PP/CPA ratio is 40/60) close to phase inversion. POM migration toward the walls of the forming die occurred in the flow of the ternary polymer mixture melts. For the purpose of realizing the specific fiber formation during the processing of the above mentioned mixtures we recommend an addition of 5% to 10% of POM. [source]

Processing behavior of polycarbonate/functionalized-ethylene copolymer blends

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 12 2000
Marcos L. Dias
The melt blending of polycarbonate (PC) and ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers (EFC) either in the acid form (EFC-H) or partially neutralized with sodium (EFC-Na) or zinc (EFC-Zn) was investigated. Torque monitoring of the blending showed that the polymers are capable of reacting generating new chemical species that increase the melt viscosity. As general behavior, the torque curves pass by a maximum that takes place before 30 min, the final torque being higher than that of the individual polymers. SEC analyses reveal that PC degradation also occurs and is stronger in the case of blends with EFC-Na that acts to catalyze PC degradation, promoting CO2 formation. FTIR studies on chloroform insoluble fractions of the PC/EFC-Zn blends showed that in addition to a very small number of carbonate groups, feature absorption bands of aromatic ester and hydroxyl groups appear in the new chemical species formed during the reactive processing. [source]

Ultrasonic improvement of rheological and processing behaviour of LLDPE during extrusion

POLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2003
Shaoyun Guo
Abstract The effects of ultrasonic oscillations on die pressure, productivity of extrusion, melt viscosity and melt fracture of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) as well as their mechanism of action were studied in a special ultrasonic oscillation extrusion system developed in our Laboratory. The experimental results showed that, in the presence of ultrasonic oscillations, the melt fracture or surface distortion of LLDPE extrudate is inhibited or disappears. The surface appearance of the LLDPE extrudate was greatly improved. The productivity of LLDPE extrudate was increased in the presence of ultrasonic oscillations. The die pressure, melt viscosity and flow activation energy of LLDPE decreased with the rise in ultrasonic intensity. The shear sensitivity of LLDPE melt viscosity decreased due to the increase of its power law index in the presence of ultrasonic oscillations. Inducing ultrasonic oscillations into LLDPE melt greatly improved its processability. A possible mechanism for the improved processibility is proposed. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

Metallocene based polyolefin: a potential candidate for the replacement of flexible poly (vinyl chloride) in the medical field

POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 9 2010
M. C. Sunny
Abstract A comparative assessment of the performance properties of metallocene polyolefin (m-PO) with those of plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (pPVC) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer having 18% vinyl acetate content (EVA-18), the two common polymers used for flexible medical products, is carried out. The preliminary evaluation of the processability, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the new material, m-PO is described. The processability parameters like mixing torque and melt viscosity of m-PO are found to be comparable with those of pPVC and EVA-18. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear strength (TS) of m-PO are much higher than that of pPVC and EVA-18. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that the thermal degradation of m-PO takes place only at temperatures above 340°C and can be processed at 170°C without much damage. Oxygen and carbon dioxide permeabilities of m-PO at three different temperatures (10, 25, and 40°C) are evaluated and compared with those of pPVC and EVA-18. It could be seen that the permeabilities of both the gases for m-PO at three temperatures were lower than those of pPVC and EVA. Biological evaluation of m-PO is carried out by assessing its cytotoxicity, hemolytic property, and blood clotting initiation. The cytotoxicity studies indicate that m-PO is non-toxic to the monolayer of L929 mammalian fibroblast cell lines on direct contact or the exposure of its extract. Non-hemolytic property of m-PO by direct contact as well as test on extract is revealed both in static and in dynamic conditions. Blood clotting time experiments indicate that the initiation of blood clotting due to m-PO is faster than that of pPVC and EVA-18. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]