The synergistic effects of β-nucleating agent and ethylene–octene copolymer on toughening isotactic polypropylene

The mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and ethylene–octene copolymer (POE) blends with or without β-nucleating agent (β-NA) were systematically studied. Results demonstrated that, after β-NA and POE were separately added, the impact strength of injection molded iPP samples increased. β-NA and POE were also found to have a synergistic toughening effect on iPP matrix, and the effect was significant. When the contents were 0.05 wt% β-NA and 10 wt% POE, the impact strength reached the maximum, i.e., almost 15 times that of neat iPP. SEM further revealed that POE in skin and core layers existed as long and narrow strips along the flow direction and throughout crystals. The tensile strength did not deteriorate because of the special phase morphology and tight interfacial interaction between POE phase and matrix. WAXD and DSC revealed that POE addition had negligible influence on crystal form, and a considerable number of β crystals was generated by adding β-NA. SEM results also confirmed a critical β-NA content. When β-NA content was lower than the critical value, perfect β sphaerocrystals were generated. When β-NA was higher, “bundle-like” crystal structures formed. Perfect β sphaerocrystals were more efficient for dissipating energy because of the looser stacking pattern, thus showing better toughness.     

Study on mechanical properties and phase morphology of polypropylene/polyolefin elastomer/magnesium hydroxide ternary composites

In this work, elastomer‐toughened polypropylene (PP)/magnesium hydroxide (MH) composites with ethylene–octene copolymer (POE) were prepared in a twin‐screw extruder and then injection‐molded. The structure, mechanical properties, phase morphology, and rheological behaviors of PP/POE/MH ternary composites were studied. The mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of PP/POE/MH ternary composites are strongly influenced by the incorporation of POE copolymer. The addition of POE causes a significant improvement in the impact strength of the composites, from 3.6 kJ/m² in untoughened composites to 47.4 kJ/m² in PP composites containing 30 phr POE. This indicates that POE is very effective in converting brittle PP composites into tough composites. Conversely, the tensile strength and the Young's modulus of the composites decrease with respect to the PP composites, as the weight fraction of POE is increased to 40 phr. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study shows a two‐phase morphology where POE, as droplets, is dispersed finely and uniformly in the PP matrix. The rheological behaviors show that the interfacial interaction in the composites is enhanced with increase in POE content. Interparticle interactions give rise to the formation of interparticle network. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure and mechanical properties of SRP/HDPE/POE (EPR or EPDM) composites

The effects of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and ethylene-octylene copolymer (POE), ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR) or ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) on the structure and properties of scrap rubber powder (SRP)/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were studied. Torque and gel content results show that DCP promotes crosslinking of the SRP/HDPE/POE (EPR or EPDM) composites. The SRP/HDPE/POE (EPR or EPDM) composites containing a small amount of DCP have better mechanical properties than their corresponding composites without DCP. Highest tensile strength and elongation at break are found in the dynamically vulcanized SRP/HDPE/POE composite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that good bonding between SRP and matrix is formed in the SRP/HDPE/POE (EPR or EPDM) composites with DCP.     

Silane grafting and crosslinking of ethylene-octene copolymer

Vinyl trimethoxysilane (VTMS) and vinyl triethoxysilane (VTES) grafted ethylene-octene copolymer (POE) were prepared in the melt process. The effects of silane concentration, reaction time and temperature on the silane grafting were investigated, and the grafting reaction was in situ monitored using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The silane grafted POE was characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and melt flow index (MFI). MFI data of the silane grafted POE show that the MFI value is affected not only by DCP concentration, but also by silane concentration. The difference of gel content between VTMS and VTES crosslinked POE indicates that for POE, the grafting reaction activity of VTES is higher than that of VTMS. Moreover, the thermal behavior and mechanical properties of the crosslinked POE were also studied. It has been found that the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the silane crosslinked POE are greatly improved.     

Effect of the interfacial interaction on the phase structure and rheological behavior of polypropylene/ethylene– octene copolymer/BaSO4 ternary composites

In polypropylene (PP)/ethylene–octene copolymer (POE)/BaSO₄ ternary composites, two different kinds of phase structures are assumed:(1) POE and BaSO₄ filler are separately dispersed in the PP matrix and (2) POE‐encapsulated filler particles (core–shell structure) are dispersed in the matrix. This depends on the interfacial interaction of the composites. For the design of composites with different interfacial interactions, three routes for the preparation of BaSO₄ master batches were developed. First, a mixture of BaSO₄, POE, and maleic anhydride (MAH) in a certain ratio was extruded in the presence of dicumyl peroxide and then pelletized. In extrusion, MAH‐functionalized POE was in situ formed to enhance the interfacial interaction between POE and BaSO₄. Second, a mixture of POE and BaSO₄ was directly extruded and then pelletized. Third, after BaSO₄ was treated with an organic titanate coupling agent, the treated BaSO₄ and POE were blended in extrusion and then pelletized. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the core–shell structure in which POE encapsulates BaSO₄ particles is formed through route 1, whereas POE and BaSO₄ are separately dispersed into the PP matrix through routes 2 and 3. The rheological behavior of PP/POE/BaSO₄ ternary composites was studied with a controlled stress rheometer. The results showed that the interfacial interaction in composites with core–shell morphology is the strongest. Interparticle interactions give rise to the formation of interparticle networks; the stronger the network is, the larger the shear yield stress is and the smaller the thixotropic loop area is. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1804–1812, 2002     

Synthesis and characterization of a poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) rod-coil block copolymer

The synthesis of the poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PPE-b-PEO) ( 1 ) via condensation of endfunctionalized poly(para-phenyleneethynylene) (PPE) ( 5 ) and poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (PEO) is reported. This is achieved by the initial synthesis of a PPE homopolymer with quantitative terminal functionalization, as proven by ¹H NMR and field desorption mass spectrometry (FD-MS). Reaction of the latter with PEO affords the block copolymer 1 , which was characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, FD-MS and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Furthermore it is shown that matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) is a suitable method to investigate PPE-b-PEO with respect to molecular weights and copolymer composition.     

Oxygen permeability in blends of a vinyl alcohol/ethylene copolymer and a metallocenic ethylene/1‐octene copolymer

This work describes the preparation, characterization, and evaluation of the oxygen permeability of blends based on a polyolefin synthesized with a metallocene catalyst (ethylene/1‐octene copolymer) and a vinyl alcohol/ethylene copolymer in an attempt to establish the corresponding relationships between the composition, morphology, and transport properties to design materials with optimized and enhanced agricultural and food packaging performances. Moreover, microhardness measurements have been used to analyze the mechanical response of these blends and to obtain information about the dispersion of the two immiscible components within the blends. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3766–3774, 2004     

End‐group modification of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene ether) and in situ synthesis of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene ether)‐b‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) block copolymer

The preparation of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene ether)‐b‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) block copolymer was performed by the reaction of the 2‐hydroxyethyl modified poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene ether) (PPE‐EtOH) with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by an in situ process, during the synthesis of the polyester. The yield of the reaction of the 2‐hydroxyethyl functionalized PPE‐EtOH with PET was close to 100%. A significant proportion of the PET‐b‐PPE‐EtOH block copolymer was found to have short PET block. Nevertheless, the copolymer structured in the shape of micelles (20 nm diameter) and very small domains with 50–200 nm diameter, whereas unmodified PPE formed much larger domains (1.5 μm) containing copolymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3985–3991, 2008     

Blends of polycarbonate and ethylene-1-octylene copolymer

The mechanical properties and morphology of polycarbonate/ethylene-1-octylene copolymer (PC/POE) binary blends and PC/POE/ionomer ternary blends were investigated. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the PC/POE blends decreased with increasing the POE content. The impact strength of the PC/POE blends showed less dependence on thickness than that of PC. And the low-temperature impact strength of PC was modified effectively by addition of POE. The morphology of the PC/POE blends was observed by scanning electron microscope. The PC/POE weight ratio had a great effect on the morphology of the PC/POE blends. For the PC/POE (80/20)/ionomer ternary blends, low content (0.25 and 0.5 phr) of ionomer could increase the tensile properties of PC/POE (80/20) blend and had little effect on the impact strength. And 0.5 phr ionomer made the dispersed domain distribute more uniformly and finely than the blend without it. But with high content of ionomer, the degradation of PC made the mechanical properties of the blends deteriorate. Blending PC and ionomer proved the degradation of PC, and the molecular weight decreased with increasing the ionomer content.     

Distribution of nanoclay in a new TPV/nanoclay composite prepared through dynamic vulcanization

In this article distribution of nanoclay between the two phases of a new class of dynamically vulcanized TPV based on POE/EVA(Polyethylene octene elastomer/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer) elastomers prepared with various amounts of organoclay (0.5, 1 and 3 wt%) using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as vulcanizing agent by reactive melt blending process has been studied. Different specimens of POE and POE/EVA blend with and without clay were prepared. The effects of organoclay on mechanical properties, swelling kinetics, crystallinity, vulcanization characteristics, dynamic mechanical behaviour, electrical properties and morphology were studied. DMA and morphological analysis revealed the formation of a Thermoplastic vulcanizate. XRD analysis showed decrease in crystallinity on addition of EVA in POE matrix. However, morphological observation of the fractured surface suggested that the smaller EVA domain was quite uniformly distributed into the POE phase and the clay phase was predominantly dispersed in the EVA phase of the TPVs and 0.5% clay mainly improved the mechanical properties and elongation of the blends. Swelling characteristics, electrical properties and storage modulus were also improved with the clay in case of the blend containing higher EVA content which further supports the fact that nanoclay was preferably distributed in the more polar EVA phase.     

磷酸钙骨水泥/聚肽共聚物生物复合材料力学性能及微观结构

磷酸钙骨水(Calcium Phosphate Cement,CPC)是一种新型的人工骨材料,可用于人体骨缺损的修复,具有良好的生物相容性、骨传导性和骨替代性．然而,磷酸钙骨水泥的抗压强度较低,脆性较大,限制了其应用,因而提高抗压强度和减小其脆性成为CPC研究领域的一个重要课题．目前,普遍采用添加纤维的方法来提高CPC材料的抗压强度和韧性．然而大多数的纤维是非降解性的．     

Effect of styrene-4-vinyl pyridine diblock copolymer on morphological,thermal, and mechanical properties of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)/polyethylene ionomer blends

The compatibilizing effects of a styrene-4-vinyl pyridine diblock copolymer on the properties of immiscible poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE)/polyethylene ionomer (Surlyn) blends are investigated by examining the phase morphology and the thermal and mechanical properties. The block copolymer is synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization at ?78°C and melt-mixed with PPE and Surlyn at 290°C. When a small amount of block copolymer is present, the domain size of the dispersed phase becomes smaller. The tensile strength and elongation at break increase with addition of the block copolymer for PPE-rich matrix blends, whereas the tensile strength increases but the elongation at break decreases for Surlyn-rich matrix blends. These effects are interpreted in terms of the interfacial activity and the reinforcing effect of the block copolymer. From the experimental results, it is concluded that the block copolymer plays a role as an effective compatibilizer for PPE/Surlyn blends. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Revealing toughening mechanism for alternating multilayered polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-octene) sheets

Alternating multilayered (16, 32, and 128 layers) polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-octene) (PP/POE) sheets were prepared via multilayer co-extrusion. Impact (−20°C), tensile, and dynamic rheological tests were carried out on the prepared multilayered samples. The toughening mechanism for the multilayered samples was revealed via investigating their fracture surface morphology and analyzing the work of fracture. The results showed that the impact energy for the notched multilayered samples is mainly absorbed by the continuous thin ductile POE layers due to cavitation, whereas for the unnotched multilayered samples the continuous thin POE and PP layers both contributed significantly to the total work of fracture due to multiple crazing, cracking and distinct plastic deformation in both PP and POE layers, and thus significantly extended crack propagation paths. Hence, the multilayered samples possessed much higher unnotched impact strength than notched impact strength. Moreover, the multilayered samples exhibited slightly increased notched impact strength and obviously increased unnotched impact strength with increasing layer number. Interestingly, the multilayered samples exhibited lower notch sensitivity than the PP sample. In addition to significantly improved low temperature impact toughness, the multilayered samples maintained the strength and stiffness as well as having superior extensibility to that of the PP sample.     

Effects of toughening propylene/ethylene graft copolymer on the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of polypropylene random-copolymerized with a small amount of ethylene

Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was grafted onto the backbone chains of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) during reactive melt-extrusion to produce a novel toughening modifier, propylene/ethylene graft copolymer (PEGC), to improve the properties of iPP random(-copolymerized with a small amount of ethylene) (PPR). The crystallization behavior as well as the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the PEGC modified PPRs were investigated via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The fractured surface topography was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the mechanical properties through notched impact and tensile testing as well as dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results show that, at a PEGC content of 8 wt%, notched impact strength of the PEGC modified PPR increased by 30.6% at low temperature (−25 °C). As regards crystalline morphology, the PEGC, as an effective heterogeneous nucleating agent, fostered nucleation of the PPR to elevate its crystallization temperature as well as rate of crystallization, thus refining the PPR (iPP) spherulites and improving the interfacial structure between iPP spherulites. The Jeziorny approach was unsatisfactory for simulation of the non-isothermal crystallization process of the PEGC modified PPRs; however, the Mo method described consistently the crystallization kinetics over the entire isothermal process.     

The rheological behavior of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer/rectorite nanocomposites during the melt extrusion process

To optimize the preparation process for ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/rectorite nanocomposites during the melt extrusion, the effect of rectorite on the rheological property of molten polymer has been explored in this paper. The dispersion of rectorite in EVA was probed by X‐ray diffraction, and the rheological behaviors of EVA copolymer and EVA/rectorite nanocomposites during the extrusion process were investigated by means of HAAKE minilab. The positron results reveal that introducing the rectorite in EVA matrix increases the interfaces in composites. And the rheological results indicate that the viscosity of EVA and EVA/rectorite nanocomposites in the molten state was influenced by the processing temperature, processing time and shearing rate. For all the samples, the viscosity increases with increasing the shear rate, and decreases with increasing extrusion temperature. Moreover, compared with the pure EVA, the EVA/rectorite nanocomposite presents a lower viscosity at the same processing condition. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of microcapsulated ammonium polyphosphate,pentaerythritol with glycidyl methacrylate,butyl methacrylate and their synergistic flame‐ retardancy for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer

A new series of microcapsules containing pentaerythritol (PER) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) with glycidyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate as shell materials were synthesized by in situ polymerization. The structure and performance of the microencapsulated APP and microencapsulated PER were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and water contact angle. The flame retarded ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) composites were studied by limiting oxygen index, UL‐94 test, and cone calorimeter. It was found that the microencapsulation of flame retardants (FRs) with the glycidyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate lead to a decrease in the particle's water solubility and an improvement of the hydrophobicity. Results also demonstrated that the FR properties of EVA/microencapsulated APP/microencapsulated PER composites were better than those of the EVA/APP/PER composites at the same loading of FRs. The thermogravimetric analysis results reflected that the microencapsulated EVA composites had better thermal stability because of the forming of stable char during the combustion. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative nanomechanical property mapping of epoxy thermosetting system modified with poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer

An epoxy based thermosetting matrix was modified with poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer, obtaining cured nanostructured thermosetting systems. Resulting systems were investigated using a novel atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging mode, known as PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical property mapping (PeakForce QNM), that allows for the quantitative mapping of the local mechanical properties, such as adhesion and elastic modulus, together with the topography. It was demonstrated the capacity of this quantitative nanomechanical mapping to provide information on the local distribution of the elastic modulus, being able to distinguish between the mechanical properties of the two phases present in the analyzed thermosetting systems.     

丙烯-乙烯共聚物/乙烯-1-辛烯共聚物层状复合材料的力学性能研究

利用自主设计的一套可进行微层共挤出的口模,分别制备了2层、16层、32层和64层丙烯-乙烯共聚物(PPE)/乙烯-1-辛烯共聚物(POE)交替层状复合材料。研究了制得的层状复合材料的应力-应变行为,利用等效盒子模型(equivalent box model)描述了层状复合材料与相应的常规PPE/POE共混材料力学行为的区别.通过对共挤出材料和共混材料的拉伸数据进行分析后发现,具有层状结构特别是多层结构的共挤出材料具有比共混材料更为优异的屈服和断裂伸长性能.     

Layered double hydroxides intercalated with borate anions: Fire and thermal properties in ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer

Fire and thermal properties of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) composites prepared by melt blending with layered double hydroxides (LDH) have been studied. Two types of LDHs intercalated with borate anion were prepared using the coprecipitation method and the metals Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Al³⁺. Characterization of the LDHs and the EVA composites was performed using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and cone calorimetry. Thermal analyses show that the addition of LDHs improves the thermal stability of EVA. Fire properties evaluated using the cone calorimeter were significantly improved in the EVA/LDH composites. The peak heat release rate was reduced by about 40% when only 3% by weight of the LDH was added to the copolymer. Comparison of the fire properties of the LDHs with those of aluminum trihydrate (ATH), magnesium hydroxides (MDH), zinc hydroxide (ZH) and their combinations at 40% loading, reveal that the LDHs were more effective than when MDH and ZH are used alone.     

Photodegradation Behavior of Polycaprolactone-Poly(ethylene glycol) Block Copolymer

Polycaprolactone-poly(ethyleneglycol)(PCE)blockcopolymerisabiodegradablepolymer.ThebiodegradationcharacterisationinvitFoandinvivoofthePCEwasreported"'.ItwasfoundthatthedegradationrateofthePCEwasincreasedwithincreasingpoly(ethyleneglycol)content,temperature,acidityandalkalinityanditwasacceleratedbythepresenceofenzyme.Thefastestdegradationratewasobservedinthephysiologicalconditionofthesamplebeingimplantedinthebodyofanimals.SoPCEcopolymerpossessesagoodprospecttobebio-medicalmaterials3.Mostp…