IPP-E-plastomer blends

The mechanism of formation of morphology structures in iPP-E-plastomers blends via shear-dependent mixing and demixing was investigated by optical microscopy and electron microscopy. A single-phase stmcture is formed under high shear condition in injection machine after injection, namely under zero-shear environments, spinodal decomposition proceeds and leads to the formation of a bicontinuous phase stmcture. The velocity of spinodal decomposition and the phase separation depend on the molecular stmcture of iPP and E-plastomer components. 

In addition to the properties noted above, the formulation parameter in iPP-E-plastomer blends have a profound influence on the dynamic loading (e.g., vibration) performance. The load limits of the blend for applications in which dynamic stresses are predominant were studied by using the hysteresis measurement method. However, their technical application requires knowledge of critical load values. 

The thermal, mechanical, and morphological behaviors of two binary blends, HDPE-E-plastomer (Engage 8200) and iPP-E-plastomer (Engage 8200) have been investigated to compare the compatibility and molecular mechanistic properties of the blends. Both systems are thermodynamically immiscible but mechanically compatible. Thermal studies indicate that both blends exhibit two distinct melting peaks and there is depression of the HDPE melting peak in the blend with high... 

A study on the effectiveness of the E-plastomers as impact modifiers for iPP was carried out in relation to the traditional modifier EPDM. In this study, the flow properties of the E-plastomer-iPP and EPDM-PP blends were also evaluated. The blends were analyzed by solid-state 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, microscopy (SEM), and DSC. The results showed that E-plastomer-PP and EPDM-PP blends present a similar crystallization behavior, which resulted in a similar mechanical performance of the blends. However, the E-plastomer-PP blend presents lower torque values than the EPDM-PP blend, which indicates a better processibility when E-plastomer is used as an impact modifier for iPP. 

This development was technologically successful and E-plastomers are widely recognized to be very effective impact modifiers for iPP. In initial experiments, binary blends of iPP were compounded with EPDM, E-plastomers, or SEES as the elastomeric phase. In comparison to the known modifiers, such as EPDM or SEES, the binary blends with E-plastomers have properties which strongly depend on the amount and the identity of the E-plastomer. Thus, the addition of... 

Glass transition temperature (Tg), measured by means of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of E-plastomers has been measured in binary blends of iPP and E-plastomer. These studies indicate some depression in the Tg in the binary, but incompatible, blends compared to the Tg of the corresponding neat E-plastomer. This is attributed to thermally induced internal stress resulting from differential volume contraction of the two phases during cooling from the melt. The temperature dependence of the specific volume of the blend components was determined by PVT measurement of temperatures between 30°C and 270°C and extrapolated to the elastomer Tg at —50°C. 

Similar blends have been made by cross-linking the E-plastomer with peroxides. This process suffers from an inherent degradation of the iPP by peroxide. In a representative formulation, a mixture of 60 parts of E-plastomer (octene commoner), 15 parts maleated (0.6%) iPP, 25 parts of EPDM, 10 parts of paraffinic plasticizer, 5 parts of dicumyl peroxide, and 1 part of stabilizer was treated at 170°C for 5 min to give a cross-linked blend with Shore A hardness 66, tensile strength 5.5 MPa, and elongation 190%. Similar blends have been made with the incorporation of a limited amount of a SEES polymer to act as a compatibilizer between the E-plastomer and the iPP. 

Extremely soft and fluid blends of E-plastomers with iPP have been made by incorporating a large amount of a low-density E-plastomer with added process oil for fluidity and softness with a minor amount of iPP [10]. In a representative formulation, 56 parts of an impact copolymer (ICP) which had 62 wt% of iPP and the balance an EPR, 22 parts of an E-plastomer (hexene comonomer), 11 parts of an E-plastomer (octene comonomer), and 5 parts of talc showed a Rockwell R hardness 77,... 

P-plastomers, even more than the E-plastomers, have been blended with a number of substrates [23]. The most-important one is blend with iPP which forms compatible blends with P-plastomer for a wide range of relative weights fractions of P-plastomer and iPP as well as a wide range of molecular weights for both of the components. The formation of the blends with iPP leads to changes in the elastic and tensile response with elongation modulus, monotonicaUy increasing with the amount of iPP. 

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