Starch-g-poly (vinyl alcohol) as Compatibilizer for Reducing the Phase Separation Rates of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Cornstarch Pastes

Starch- g-poly(vinyl alcohol) as a compatibilizing agent for reducing the phase separation rates of polyvinyl alcohol/starch pastes has been investigated by blending and dissolving the two polymers in distilled water. The separation rates were quantitatively evaluated by the term of initiul demixing time. The grafted starches, with a series of grafting ratios, were prepared by grafting a number of vinyl acetate onto granular cornstarch in aqueous dispersion and then alcoholating in methanol. It was found that the addition of small amounts of starch- g poly (vinyl alcohol ) in the size compositions can effectively decrease the separation rates of the blended pastes in comparison to pure starch/PVA ones.Moreover, the influence of the grafting ratio, starch content, and PVA variety on the separation rates was also studied.

EFFECTS OF COMPATIBILIZERS ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE/LIGNIN BLENDS

Low density polyethylene(LDPE)/lignin blends were prepared using melt blending.Two kinds of compatibilizers, ethylene-vinylacetate(EVA) which is softer than LDPE and polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride(PE-g-MA) which is harder than LDPE were used to improve the interfacial adhesion.Scanning electron microscope(SEM) was used to investigate the dispersion of lignin in LDPE matrix.The results showed that both of the compatibilizers could improve the interaction between the low density polyethylene and l...

Effectiveness of Compatibilizer on Mechanical Properties of Recycled PET Blends with PE, PP, and PS

Recycled PET (R-PET) is well known to exhibit brittle behavior in the presence of notches and indicated the low heat distortion temperature. In addition, it is hard to prevent some impurities such as cap or label of the bottle that mixed into R-PET during the recycling process. In this paper, the effect of the amounts and kinds of compatibilizers on the morphological characteristics and mechanical performance of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R-PET) compounded with polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) was investigated. From the results, with an increase in the glycidyl methacrylate modified PE (EGMA) additive contents, in the increment of the Izod impact strength of Composite-G was obtained. In addition, it was found that the miscibility of Composite-G was improved with increasing the amount of EGMA, which indicated from the result of SEM images.

IN SITU COMPATIBILIZATION OF LDPE/NYLON-6 BLEND USING LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT INTERFACIAL AGENT AS A CHEMICAL COMPATIBILIZER

In situ, compatibilization of low density polyethylene (LDPE) (30%) and nylon-6 (70%) blends through one-step reactive extrusion using t-BuOOH as an initiator and low molecular weight interfacial agents as compatibilizers was studied. The compatibilizer contained a long chain hydrocarbon, double bond and two polar functional groups which was capable of reacting with both LDPE and nylon-6 in the presence of initiator to form a copolymer at the interface of the two polymer phases. The extruded blends exhibited significant enhancement in their compatibility based on morphological, thermal analysis and mechanical studies. The effect of the hydrocarbon chain length and structure of the functional group of the compatibilizer was also examined. It was found that blends prepared by using the compatibilizer containing longer hydrocarbon chain and amide group had better mechanical properties.

Synthesis and Characterization of Compatibilizer TLCP-b-PC

The compatibilizer (TLCP-b-PC) of 60PHB/PET thermotropic liquid crystal polymer (TLCP) and polycarbonate (PC) blend system was prepared. The synthesis and characterization of the compatibilizer as well as its effects on the microscopic morphology and the mechanical properties of the TLCP/PC blend system were studied with a series of analysis ways, such as Soxhlet extraction, infrared absorption spectroscopy,electron microscopy, etc. It is shown that the ideal reaction condition for preparing the compatibilizer is:the reaction temperature of 275℃, the reaction time of 20minutes and without catalyst. And the compatibilizer can improve the compatibility of the blending system of 60PHB/PET and PC.

Which is More Efficient as Compatibilizer： Di-block or Multiblock Copolymer？

Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the compatibilizing behaviors of multi-block copolymers with different architectures in A/B/（block copolymer） ternary blends. The volume fraction of homopolymer A, employed as the dispersed phase, was 19%. The simulations illustrate how a di- or multi-block copolymer aggregates at the interfaces and influences the phase behaviour of such incompatible polymer blends. The di-block copolymer chains tend to ＂stand＂ on the interface whereas the multi-block chains lie on the interface. In comparison with the di-block copolymer, the block copolymers with 4, or 10 blocks can occupy more areas on the interface, and thus the multi-block copolymers have higher efficiency for the retardation of the phase separation.

Influence of Adding Compatibilizer to SBS Polymer-Modified Asphalt on Compatibility and Rheological Behavior

Adding compatibilizer to polymer-modified asphalt(PMA)is an effective method to improve compatibility and performance.However,only few studies have systematically focused on how compatibilizer can affect the performance of styrene-butadiene-styrene(SBS)polymer-modified asphalt(PMA).In this study,six compatibilizers with different compositions were used to prepare SBS PMA samples.Conventional performance,viscosity-temperature characteristics,viscoelastic behavior,creep properties,and morphology were investigated.The results show that adding compatibilizer to SBS PMA has a great effect on its performance.High aromatics content in compatibilizers can improve the high-temperature performance of SBS PMA,while a high saturates content can enhance the low-temperature performance.Additionally,high aromatics content in compatibilizer can increase the temperature sensitivity.While the aromatics content does improve the compatibility of SBS PMA to some extent,adding compatibilizer to SBS PMA has few effects on the microstructure.Judging from our test results,we can conclude that the optimum aromatics content for adding compatibilizer to SBS PMA ranges from 33.21%to 54.22%.

The Role of Compatibilizers on the Properties of PC/ABS Alloy

Two compatibilizers consisting of styrene-acrylonitrile-glycidyl methacrylate (SAG) terpolymer with different contents of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), SAG-001 (1 wt% of GMA) and SAG-005 (5 wt% of GMA), and styrene-acry-lonitrile-maleic anhydride terpolymer (SAM), SAM-002 (2 wt% of maleic anhydride ), were used to evaluate the role of compatibilizers in the PC/ABS alloy in terms of the mechanical properties, thermal stability and phase morphology. The tensile strength of SAG modified PC/ABS alloy slightly increased than that of SAM modified system, but the two compatibilizers barely affected the flexural strength of the system. On the other hand, the impact strength of SAG modified PC/ABS was improved. In addition, the MFR (melt flow index) of the SAG modified PC/ABS alloy reduced, implying that the viscosity or molecular weight of the system increased. The HDT (heat distortion temperature) also improved with SAG modified system. Moreover, the phase morphology of the SAG modified PC/ABS alloys much enhanced than that of SAM modified system. As a consequence, SAG compatibilized PC/ABS alloy showed better properties than those of SAM modified system, suggesting that the reaction between carboxylic or epoxy groups in SAG and terminal carboxyl group in PC would be the main factor to bring the enhancement in the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the PC/ABS alloy.

Influences of Reactive Compatibilizer R-Styrene-Maleic Anhydride Copolymer on PA6/PP Blends

The effect of R-styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer （R- SMA） compatibilzation on Nylon 6 （ PA6 ）/polypropylene （ PP ） blends has been investigated experimentally through Molan test, microscopic morphology, and chemical structure. Results show that the moderate R-SMA addition can promote reaction between anhydride in R-SMA and amino in PA6, and lead to a new PA6-g- R-SMA copolymer in the blends. Such PA6-g-R-SMA eopolymer in the blends can effectively reduce the interfaeial tension and PP particle size, and improve the compatibility of two immiscible phases in the blends. The crystallinity of PA6 in PA6/PP blends has greatly decreased by PP blends. The blends have the best comprehensive mechanical and thermal properties when the mass ratio of PA6/PP/ R-SMA is 90：10：2 to 90：10：4. The impact strength of the PA6/PP blends with the eompatibilizer is increased by more than 150 %.

High-Performance Biodegradable PBAT/PPC Composite Film Through Reactive Compatibilizer

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is currently the largest commercial biodegradable plastics with good toughness and film forming properties, whereas, the inferior barrier and mechanical properties hinder its applications. Biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) with excellent barrier properties and high strength is a natural choice to address above issue. However, it is challenging to improve the compatibility of these two polymers. Herein, we prepared a reactive compatibilizer with double bond side group through terpolymerization of CO_(2)/propylene oxide/glycidyl methacrylate to enhance the properties of PBAT/PPC blends. Upon addition of 1 wt% compatibilizer, the PBAT/PPC blends (75/25, W/W) showed an increased water vapor barrier property changed from 424 g·m^(−2)·d^(−1) to 204 g·m^(−2)·d^(−1) compared to the control sample. Moreover, the tensile strength and elongation at break increased from 24.7 MPa to 30.3 MPa and from 858% to 1142%, respectively. The PBAT/PPC composite also displayed excellent biodegradability under composting conditions, as confirmed by the significantly decreased molecular weight. The present work provides an efficient way to barrier biodegradable film from PBAT of practical utilization.

Interfacial Engineering of Polymer Blend with Janus Particle as Compatibilizer

Mixing two or more polymers to produce the“polymer alloy”is one of the most versatile and economical strategies for developing new polymeric materials.The compatibility between polymer components largely determines the comprehensive performance of polymer blend.More recently,a type of unique surface partitioned materials,Janus particles,has been proposed to act as a novel interfacial compatibilizer for polymer blends.Such Janus particles integrates the amphipathicity of diblock copolymer and interfacial stabilization of nanoparticles,displaying a significant superiority in comparison with molecular compatibilizers for a wide range of polymer blends.In this review,we mainly focus on the compatibilizing effects of Janus nanofillers of various morphologies,including spherical,snowman-like,and two-dimensional nanosheets,on polymer blends.We shed light on the impacts of compatibilization of Janus particles on phase morphologies,mechanical properties,and functionalities of polymer blends.This review could provide a guidance for designing an effective Janus particle compatibilizer to develop high-performance polymer blends.

Excellent Compatibilization Effect of a Dual Reactive Compatibilizer on the Immiscible MVQ/PP Blends

Methyl vinyl silicone rubber (MVQ)/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) combines the good melt processability, recyclability and sealing performance as well as biosafety, stain and fluid resistance, and thus it is especially suitable in bio-safety areas and wearable electronic devices, etc. Nevertheless, the compatibility between MVQ and PP phases is poor. A big challenge on the compatibilization of MVQ/PP blends is that neither MVQ nor PP contains any reactive groups. In this study, a dual reactive compatibilizer composed of ethylenemethyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer (EMA-co-GMA) and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) was designed for the compatibilization of MVQ/PP blends. During melt blending, a copolymer compatibilizer at the MVQ/PP interface can be formed because of the in situ reaction between EMA-co-GMA and PP-g-MAH. The thermodynamic predict of its compatibilization effect through calculating the spreading coefficient of the in situ formed copolymer indicates that it can well compatibilize MVQ/PP blends. The experimental results show that under the GMA/MAH molar ratio of 0.5/1, the interface thickness largely increase from 102 nm for non-compatibilized blend to 406 nm, and the average size of MVQ dispersed phase largely decreases from 2.3 µm to 0.36 µm, the Tg of the two phases shifts toward each other, the mixing torque and mechanical properties of the blend are increased, all indicating its good compatibilization effect. This study provides a good compatibilizing method for immiscible MVQ/PP blends with no reactive groups in both components for the preparation of high performance MVQ/PP TPVs.

Creating super-tough and strong PA6/ABS blends using multi-phase compatibilizers

Polyamide/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer(PA/ABS) blends have drawn considerable attention from both academia and industry for their important applications in automotive and electronic areas. Due to poor miscibility of PA and ABS, developing an effective compatibilization strategy has been an urgent challenge to achieve prominent mechanical properties. In this study, we create a set of mechanically enhanced PA6/ABS blends using two multi-monomer melt-grafted compatibilizers, SEBSg-(MAH-co-St) and ABS-g-(MAH-co-St). The dispersed domain size is significantly decreased and meanwhile the unique "soft shell-encapsulating-hard core" structures form in the presence of compatibilizers. The optimum mechanical performances manifest an increase of 36% in tensile strength and an increase of 1300% in impact strength, compared with the neat PA6/ABS binary blend.

Orthogonal Solubility in Fully Conjugated Donor-Acceptor Block Copolymers： Compatibilizers for Polymer/Fullerene Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

Donor-acceptor （D-A） type fully conjugated block copolymer systems have been rarely reported due to the challenges in synthetic approaches to prepare well-defined low-polydispersity products. In this work, fully conjugated block copolymers are synthesized in a one-pot reaction through Stille coupling polycondensation, by utilizing the end-functional polymer copolymerization method. End-functional P3HT are copolymerized with AA （2,7-dihromo-9-（heptadecan-9-yl）-9H- carbazole） and BB （4,7-bis（5-（trimethylstannyl）thiophen-2-yl）benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole, TBT） type monomers, respectively. The orthogonal solubility between the very soluble P3HT donor and the insoluble PCDTBT acceptor block improves the purity of block copolymers as well as distinct nano-scale phase-separation compared with other reports on miscibility of donor and acceptor polymer block. Further purification via preparative GPC is carried out to remove the excess of unreacted P3HT and free PCDTBT as well as to achieve low polydispersity of block copolymers. The chemical structure of the P3HT- b-PCDTBT block copolymers are verified via IH-NMR, and further confirmed by FTIR spectra. The block copolymer shows broad absorption and moderate optical band gap of 1.8 eV. Furthermore, the fully conjugated block copolymer films exhibit significant fine structures, much smoother film morphology compared to P3HT/PCDTBT polymer blends. By adding a small amount of block copolymer P3HT-b-PCDTBT as a compatibilizer into the bulk-heterojunction of P3HT：PC61BM blends, polymer solar ceils with an 8% increase of short circuit current （Jse） and 10% increase of power conversion efficiency （PCE） are achieved owing to the improvement of the active-layer film morphology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on donor-acceptor type fully conjugated block copolymer as an effective ternary additive in polymer： fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Effect of Olefin-based Compatibilizers on the Formation of Cocontinuous Structure in Immiscible HDPE/iPP Blends

In this work,the formation of cocontinuous structure in immiscible high density polyethylene/isotactic polypropylene(HDPE/iPP)blends was investigated for various olefin-based compatibilizers of distinct molecular architectures,including ternary random copolymer EPDM,olefin block copolymer(OBC),polypropylene-based OBC(PP-OBC),ethylene/a-olefin copolymer(POE),bottlebrush polymer poly(1-dodecene),and comb-like poly(propylene-co-high a-olefin)(PPO).The scanning electron microscopy results show that after adding OBC,PP-OBC,and POE copolymers,the finer droplet-in-matrix morphologies were obtained in 70/30 HDPE/iPP blend.Interestingly,for 70/30 HDPE/iPP blend with just 5 wt%of PPO copolymers,the phase inversion from droplet-in-matrix to cocontinuous morphology can be observed.It was proposed that the development of cocontinuous morphology contained the following steps:(1)in terfacial saturati on of compatibilizers and droplet deformation,(2)droplet-droplet coalesce nee,(3)continuity development,and(4)the formation of dual-phase con tinuity.Among the diverse copolymers studied in this work,PPO copolymer can be easily removed out of the interface during droplet coalescence and stabilize the curvature of minor fiber phase,facilitating the formation of cocontinuous morphology.In contrast,other olefin-based compatibilizers(EPDM,OBC,PP-OBC,and POE)exhibit the distinct steric repulsion effect to prohibit droplet coalescence.Moreover,the cocontinous interval varies with the compatibilizer architectures.Surprisingly,after adding 10 wt%of PPO copolymers,the cocontinuous interval was greatly broadened from HDPE/iPP range of 45/55-60/40 to that of 40/60-70/30.

TOUGHENING OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE RANDOM COPOLYMER/CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES:COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT COMPATIBILIZERS

Ethylene/propylene-random-copolymer （PPR）/clay nanocomposites were prepared by two-stage melt blending. Four types of compatibilizers, including an ethylene-octene copolymer grafted maleic anhydride （POE-g-MA） and three maleic-anhydride-grafted polypropylenes （PP-g-MA） with different melt flow indexes （MFI）, were used to improve the dispersion of organic clay in matrix. On the other hand, the effects of organic montmorillonite （OMMT） content on the nanocomposite structure in terms of clay dispersion in PPR matrix, thermal behavior and tensile properties were also studied. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） results show that the organic clay layers are mainly intercalated and partially exfoliated in the nanocomposites. Moreover, a PP-g-MA compatibilizer （compatibilizer B） having high MFI can greatly increase the interlayer spacing of the clay as compared with other compatibilizers. With the introduction of compatibilizer D （POE-g-MA）, most of the clays are dispersed into the POE phase, and the shape of the dispersed OMMT appears elliptic, which differs from the strip of PP-g-MA. Compared with virgin PPR, the Young＇s modulus of the nanocomposite evidently increases when a compatibilizer C （PP-g-MA） with medium MFI is used. For the nanocomposites with compatibilizer B and C, their crystallinities （Xc） increase as compared with that of the virgin PPR. Furthermore, the increase of OMMT loadings presents little effect on the melt temperature （Tc） of the PPR/OMMT nanocomposites, and slight effect on their crystallization temperature （Tc）. Only compatibilizer B can lead to a marked increases in crystallinity and Tc of the nanocomposite when the OMMT content is 2 wt%.

Improvement in Toughness of Poly(ethyiene 2,5-furandicarboxyiate) by Melt Blending with Bio-based Polyamidel 1 in the Presence of a Reactive Compatibilizer

The objective of this study was to improve the toughness of bio based brittle poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate)(PEF)by melt blending with bio based polyamide11(PA11)in the presence of a reactive multifunctional epoxy compatibilizer(Joncryl ADR-4368).The morphological,thermal,rheological,and mechanical properties of PEF/PA11 blends were investigated.Compared with neat PEF,the toughness of PEF/PA11 blend was not improved in the absence of the reactive compatibilizer due to the poor compatibility between the two polymers.When Joncryl was incorporated into PEF/PA11 blends,the interfacial tension between PEF and PA11 was obviously reduced,reflecting in the fine average particle size and narrow distribution of PA11 dispersed phase as observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The complex viscosities of PEF/PA11 blends with Joncryl were much higher than that of PEF/PA11 blend,which could be ascribed to the formation of graft copolymers through the epoxy groups of Joncryl reacting with the end groups of PEF and PA11 molecular chains.Thus,the compatibility and interfacial adhesion between PEF and PA11 were greatly improved in the presence of Joncryl.The compatibilized PEF/PA11 blend with 1.5 phr Joncryl exhibited significantly improved elongation at break and unnotch impact strength with values of 90.1%and 30.3kJ/m2,respectively,compared with those of 3.6%and 3.8 kJ/m2 for neat PEF,respectively.This work provides an effective approach to improve the toughness of PEF which may expand its widespread application in packaging.

Correlation of Morphology Evolution with Superior Mechanical Properties in PA6/PS/PP/SEBS Blends Compatibilized by Multi-phase Compatibilizers

In this study, the maleic anhydride （MAH） and styrene （St） dual monomers grafted polypropylene （PP） and poly[styrene-b- （ethylene-co-butylene）-b-styrene] （SEBS）, i.e. PP-g-（MAH-co-St） and SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） are prepared as multi-phase compatibilizers and used to compatibilize the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS （70/10/10/10） model quaternary blends. Both PS and SEBS are encapsulated by the hard shell of PP-g-（MAH-co-St） in the dispersed domains （about 2 μm） of the PA6/PS/PP-g-（MAH-co-St）/SEBS （70/10/10/10） quaternary blend. In contrast, inside the dispersed domains （about 1 μm） of the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） （70/10/10/10） quaternary blend, the soft SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） encapsulates both the hard PS and PP phases and separates them. With increasing the content of the compatibilizers equally, the morphology of the PA6/PS/（PP＋PP-g-（MAH-co-St））/（SEBS＋SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St）） （70/10/10/10） quaternary blends evolves from the soft （SEBS＋SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St）） encapsulating PS and partially encapsulating PP （about 1 μm）, then to PS exclusively encapsulated by the soft SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） and then separated by PP-g-（MAH-co-St） inside the smaller domains （about 0.6 μm）. This morphology evolution has been well predicted by spreading coefficients and explained by the reaction between the matrix PA6 and the compatibilizers. The quaternary blends compatibilized by more compatibilizers exhibit stronger hierarchical interfacial adhesions and smaller dispersed domain, which results in the further improved mechanical properties. Compared to the uncompatibilized blend, the blend with both 10 wt% PP-g-（MAH-co-St） and 10 wt% SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） has the best mechanical properties with the stress at break, strain at break and impact failure energy improved significantly by 97%, 71% and 261%, respectively. There is a strong correlation between the structure and property in the blends.

Comparative Study on Properties of PBAT/PBSA Film Modified by a Multi-Functional Epoxide Chain Extender or Benzoyl Peroxide

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT)and poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate)(PBSA)blend films were prepared with different contents of a multifunctional epoxide chain extender Joncryl ADR-4468(ADR)or benzoyl peroxide(BPO).The long-chain-branching(LCB)introduced by ADR and branched/crosslinked entanglement induced by BPO increased melt elasticity,viscosity and compatibility,as indicated by thermal properties,rheological and morphological analyses.It was found that the elongation at break and the tensile strength were significantly improved,due to the enhancement of compatibility and the interfacial adhesion by the incorporation of ADR or BPO.The best mechanical properties were obtained in PBAT/PBSA/ADR(60/40/0.3)(A4T6A_(0.3))and PBAT/PBSA/BPO(60/40/0.9)(A4T6B_(0.9))films,respectively.With the rapid initiation of chain growth by BPO,it has significantly improved the transparency of the film.ADR and BPO can be used interchangeably in improving the comprehensive properties of PBAT/PBSA films,and it would provide more strategies for developing biodegradable materials for various applications.

Effects of two modification methods on the mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites: addition of thermoplastic elastomer SEBS-g-MAH and in-situ grafting MAH

The effect of maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene- buty-lene-styrene block copolymer （SEBS-g-MAH） and in-situ grafting MAH on mechanical, dynamic mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites was investigated. Recycled plastic polypro-pylene （PP）, high-density polyethylene （HDPE） and polystyrene （PS）, were mixed with wood flour in a high speed blender and then extruded by a twin/single screw tandem extruder system to form wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites. Results show that the impact properties of the composites were improved more significantly by using SEBS-g-MAH compatibilizer than by using the mixtures of MAH and DCP via reactive blending in situ. However, contrary results were ob-served on the tensile and flexural properties of the corresponding com-posites. In General, the mechanical properties of composites made from recycled plastic blends were inferior to those made from virgin plastic blends, especially in elongation break. The morphological study verified that the interfacial adhesion or the compatibility of plastic blends with wood flour was improved by adding SEBS-g-MAH or in-situ grafting MAH. A better interfacial bonding between PP, HDPE, PS and wood flour was obtained by in-situ grafting MAH than the addition of SEBS-g-MAH. In-situ grafting MAH can be considered as a potential way of increasing the interfacial compatibility between plastic blends and wood flour. The storage modulus and damping factor of composites were also characterized through dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）.