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Search results for: polymers, blends
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Water Footprint Assessment of Selected Polymers, Polymer Blends, Composites, and Biocomposites for Industrial Application
PublicationThis paper presents a water footprint assessment of polymers, polymer blends, composites, and biocomposites based on a standardized EUR-pallet case study. The water footprint analysis is based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The study investigates six variants of EUR-pallet production depending on the materials used. The system boundary included the production of each material and the injection molding to obtain a standardized...
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Reclaimed Rubber/Poly(ε‐caprolactone) Blends: Structure, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties
PublicationThe amount of elastomeric waste, especially from tires is constantly increasing on a global scale. The recycling of these residua should be considered a priority. Compounding the waste rubbers with other polymers can be an excellent alternative to reuse waste materials. This procedure requires solving the issue of the lack of compatibility between the waste rubber particles and other polymers. Simultaneously, there is a claim for...
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Reactive extrusion of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters in the presence of free-radical-initiators: A review
PublicationNowadays, growing attention is being paid to the environment and sustainability, what fully justified research works focused on modification of biodegradable polymers and their composites. In this field of research reactive extrusion seems to be the most promising approach, which fits well to sustainable development strategy. In In the present work, the in-situ modification of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters and the compatibilization...
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Preparation of Well-Compatibilized PP/PC Blends and Foams Thereof
PublicationThe performance of polypropylene-poly(ethylene brassylate) block and graft copolymers and a polypropylene-polycaprolactone graft copolymer as compatibilizers for polypropylene-rich polypropylene/bisphenol A polycarbonate (PP/PC, 80/20 wt/wt) blends was elucidated. The copolymers were synthesized either by metal-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization or transesterification of a presynthesized polyester, initiated by hydroxyl-functionalized...
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Morphology and properties of recycled polyethylene/ground tyre rubber/thermoplastic poly(ester-urethane) blends
PublicationThe growing amount of plastics waste produced every year resulted in development of mechanical and chemical recycling methods of polymers and their blends or composites. From the environmental point of view, the possibility of plastics waste reusing and recycling is desirable. In this study three polymer blends were obtained with using recycled polyethylene (RPE), ground tyre rubber (GTR) and thermoplastic poly(ester-urethane)...
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Reactive extrusion of bio-based polymer blends and composites – Current trends and future developments
PublicationReactive extrusion is a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly method to produce new materials with enhanced performance properties. At present, reactive extrusion allows in-situ polymerization, modification/functionalization of polymers or chemical bonding of two (or more) immiscible phases, which can be carried out on commonly used extrusion lines. Although reactive extrusion has been known for many years, its application...
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Thermal degradation of polylactic acid (PLA)/polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) blends: A systematic review
PublicationPolylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are two biopolyesters obtained from renewable resources like corn or sugar under bacterial fermentation. PLA is the most widely used biopolymer in diverse applications. Addition of PHB to PLA can improves the crystallinity of PLA, and thereby its mechanical strength. However, both PLA and PHB suffer from poor thermal stability, which limits their potential industrial application....
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Modification of thermal and rheological characteristics of bitumen by waste PET/GTR blends
PublicationWaste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (wPET)/ground tire rubber (GTR) blends with variable compositions were applied as low-cost modifiers into bitumen and their performance has been evaluated via morphological, thermal and rheological analyses. Depending on the weight ratio of wPET/GTR, dispersion of single/composite domains of waste polymers in the bitumen has promoted the interaction between bitumen and blend components. Fourier...
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Polyurethanes modified with natural polymers for medical application. I. Polyurethanes/ Chitosan and polyurethane/collagen.
PublicationFor over three decades polyurethanes (PUR or PU) have been reported for application in a variety of medical devices. These polymers consist of hard and soft segments, which allow for more subtle control of their structure and properties. By varying the composition of the different segments, properties of PURcan be tuned up for use in many areas of medicine. Recently there is a great interest in modification of biomedical PUR with...
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Structural, mechanical and thermal behavior assessments of PCL/PHB blends reactively compatibilized with organic peroxides
PublicationThe efficiency of two commercially available organic peroxides, dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and di-(2-tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)-benzene (BIB), during reactive processing of poly (ε-caprolactone)/poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) (PCL/PHB) blends was investigated. The changes in chemical structure of PCL/PHB blends, as a function of organic peroxide type (DCP/BIB) and content (in range: 0–1.0 parts by weight - pbw), were characterized by Fourier...
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Chemical Characteristics and Thermal Oxidative Stability of Novel Cold-Pressed Oil Blends: GC, LF NMR, and DSC Studies
PublicationPlant oils contain a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Studies of food products have revealed a considerable disproportion in the ratio of ω6 to ω3. This article presents information on the healthful qualities of eight new oil blends that contain a beneficial proportion of ω6 to ω3 fatty acids (5:1), as well as their degradation during heating at 170 and 200 °C. The fatty acid profile was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC),...
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Hydrogen Bonds in Blends of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), Poly(N-ethylacrylamide) Homopolymers, and Carboxymethyl Cellulose
PublicationRecently, it was reported that the physical crosslinking exhibited by some biopolymers could provide multiple benefits to biomedical applications. In particular, grafting thermoresponsive polymers onto biopolymers may enhance the degradability or offer other features, as thermothickening behavior. Thus, different interactions will affect the different hydrogen bonds and interactions from the physical crosslinking of carboxymethyl...
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Recycled Polyurethane as a Second Phase in Thermoset Blends and Its Effect on Thermal Degradation Kinetics Studies
PublicationA new approach is introduced in the modification of thermosetting polymer by using different amount of polyurethane of waste origin. The post consumer polyurethane foam coatings are degraded using glycolysis process and the recycled product is further converted into new polyurethane. The blending of recycled polyurethane with epoxy exhibits transparency and produces nanostructures. The effective interaction between two polymers...
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Polyurethane glycolysate from industrial waste recycling to develop low dielectric constant, thermally stable materials suitable for the electronics
PublicationWe are utilizing a new method to improve the dielectric properties of a conventional polymer using a recycled polymer product. The polyurethane foams are recycled by glycolysis process and the derived material was applied to improve the dielectric properties of the brittle DGEBA epoxy resin. Two main parameters that determine the applicability of the material as a dielectric (the dielectric constant and dielectric loss), were studied...
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Integration of antifouling properties into epoxy coatings: a review
Publicationhe need for nontoxic antifouling coatings has encouraged material scientists to develop a class of organic coatings for diverse applications. As a versatile thermosetting resin and well known for coating application, antifouling characteristics have been integrated into epoxy along with anticorrosion and adhesive functions. Accordingly, both micro- and macro-biofoulings have been successfully controlled by using epoxy-based antifouling...
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Susceptibility to Degradation in Soil of Branched Polyesterurethane Blends with Polylactide and Starch
PublicationA very important method of reducing the amount of polymer waste in the environment is the introduction to the market of polymers susceptible to degradation under the influence of environmental factors. This paper presents the results of testing the susceptibility to degradation in soil of branched polyesterurethane (PUR) based on poly([R,S]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (R,S-PHB), modified with poly([D,L]-lactide) (PLA) and starch (St). Weight...
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Proposal of New Starch-Blends Composition Quickly Degradable in Marine Environment
PublicationThe aim of this paper was to obtain a quickly degradable in seawater polymer blend as an alternative proposal for classical polymer packaging. For preliminary studies: poly(lactic acid) (PLA), starch, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), gelatin and glycerol were chosen. PLA was pointed out due to its biodegradability and comparable properties to polyethylene or polypropylene. Whereas starch was chosen as abundant, renewable and cheap polymer...
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POM/EVA Blends with Future Utility in Fused Deposition Modeling
PublicationPolyoxymethylene (POM) is one of the most popular thermoplastic polymers used in the industry. Therefore, the interest in its potential applications in rapid prototyping is understandable. Nevertheless, its low dimensional stability causes the warping of 3D prints, limiting its applications. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of POM modification with ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt.%) on its processing...
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Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Poly(Lactic Acid) Blends Compatibilized by Peroxide Initiators: Comparison of Two Strategies
PublicationPoly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends were compatibilized by reactive blending and by copolymers formed during reaction in the solution. The reactive blending of PCL/PLA was performed using di-(2-tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)benzene (BIB) or dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as radical initiator. PCL-g-PLA copolymers were prepared using 1.0 wt. % of DCP or BIB via reaction in solution, which was investigated through...
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Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Poly(Lactic Acid) Blends Compatibilized by Peroxide Initiators: Comparison of Two Strategies
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A novel method of creating thermoplastic chitosan blends to produce cell scaffolds by FDM additive manufacturing
PublicationDue to its remarkable and promising biological and structural properties, chitosan has been widely studied in several potential applications in the biomedical sector. Attempts are being made to use this polymer and its properties in thermoplastics dedicated to 3D printing in FDM technology. However, chitosan can be processed only from acid solution, which limits its applications. The paper presents a new path for the production...
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Toughness augmentation by fibrillation and yielding in nanostructured blends with recycled polyurethane as a modifier
PublicationIn the present paper, we have carefully investigated the morphology and fracture mechanism of the recycled polyurethane (RPU) /epoxy blend system. The second phase (RPU) added to the epoxy resin has a positive effect on the overall mechanical properties. Interestingly, the recycled polymer has a remarkable effect on the fracture toughness of epoxy resin. The mechanism behind the fracture toughness improvement up on the addition...
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Structure-property relationships in peroxide-assisted blends of poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)
PublicationPoly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PCL/PHB) blends in two weight ratios (75/25 and 50/50) were reactively compatibilized in the presence of di-(2-tert-butyl-peroxyisopropyl)-benzene and dicumyl peroxide as free radical initiators. Rheological, mechanical, thermal properties and morphological features, as well as the chemical structure of PCL/PHB blends were investigated. It was found that regardless of PCL/PHB blend...
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Structural evaluation of percolating, self-healing polyurethane–polycaprolactone blends doped with metallic, ferromagnetic, and modified graphene fillers
PublicationComposites with differently shaped micro- and nanofillers show various, unique thermal, and physicochemical properties when mixed with carefully chosen polymer matrix. Selected composition holds strategic value in achieving desired properties that is biodegradability, thermoelectric conductivity, and shape memory for organic coating. The main aim of this work is to briefly examine structural changes after reaching percolation...
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Structural evaluation of percolating, self-healing polyurethane–polycaprolactone blends doped with metallic, ferromagnetic, and modified graphene fillers
PublicationComposites with differently shaped micro- and nanofillers show various, unique thermal, and physicochemical properties when mixed with carefully chosen polymer matrix. Selected composition holds strategic value in achieving desired properties that is biodegradability, thermoelectric conductivity, and shape memory for organic coating. The main aim of this work is to briefly examine structural changes after reaching percolation threshold...
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Studies on the Combined Impact of Starch Source and Multiple Processing on Selected Properties of Thermoplastic Starch/Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Blends
PublicationThermoplastic starch (TPS)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) blends compatibilized with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) were prepared from various native starches (potato, maize and waxy maize) and subjected to multiple extrusion cycles. Source of starch has significant impact on its composition, hence properties of obtained TPS and their blends with EVA. Higher content of amylopectin in waxy maize starch, comparing to...
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Recent Advances in Development of Waste-Based Polymer Materials: A Review
PublicationLimited petroleum sources, suitable law regulations, and higher awareness within society has caused sustainable development of manufacturing and recycling of polymer blends and composites to be gaining increasing attention. This work aims to report recent advances in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly and low-cost polymer materials based on post-production and postconsumer wastes. Sustainable development of three groups...
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Synthesis of isotactic polypropylene- block -polystyrene block copolymers as compatibilizers for isotactic polypropylene/polyphenylene oxide blends
PublicationPoly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) are highly incompatible and consequently their uncompatibilized blends are quite brittle regardless of the molecular weights and ductility of the individual components. Isotactic polypropylene-polystyrene block copolymers, to be applied as compatibilizers for a broad range of PPO/iPP blend compositions, were prepared by mechanism transformation from...