2D and 3D imaging of the deformation behavior of partially devulcanized rubber/polypropylene blends

eXPRESS Polymer Letters

P. S. Garcia¹ 

关键词: recycling;    polymer blends;    rubber;    devulcanization;    microstructure;   

DOI  :  10.3144/expresspolymlett.2018.92

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: eXPRESS Polymer Letters

【 摘 要 】

The full understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of polymer blend microstructure duringits processing has not yet been achieved; the understanding of blends composed by a highly elastic dispersed phase is evenmore indefinite. The proposal of this work is to analyze the deformation behavior of a new system composed by a partiallydevulcanized rubber dispersed in polypropylene using 2D and 3D images, both as complementary tools. For this purpose,ground tire rubber (GTR) was partially devulcanized by microwave irradiation for different exposure periods. After thisstep, each treated rubber was incorporated into recycled PP. The molded blends were analyzed using effective tools as 2Dand 3D images and rheological data. In general, the polymer blends exhibited refined microstructure, especially the blendcomposed of the most devulcanized rubber, even though they had high values of viscosity ratio (≥4). Based on the 3D images,it is clear that breakup mechanisms of the dispersed phase, like parallel breakup, have played an important role in the evolutionof the blend’s microstructure, mainly in the region of higher shear rate during processing. However, in areas wherethe rubber is still vulcanized, the breakup may have been caused by erosion of its surface.

【 授权许可】

CC BY