Influence of Ethylene-Methacrylic Acid Copolymer on Thermo-mechanical, Morphological and Rheological Properties of Recycled PET/SEBS Blend

Abstract

Owing to its properties, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) became one of the most widely used plastic after olefins having applications mainly in packaging industry and ironically has contributed approximately 80 % part of solid waste. This generates a huge amount of waste which piles up in the environment. The processing and end-use cause thermal and mechanical degradation of PET which is then overcome by either blending or by incorporation of fillers. The use of recycled PET as a reinforcement component in elastomers enhances the performance of the resultant blend. The present work describes the preparation, processing and characterization of blend based on SEBS and recycled PET. Addition of 25 % rPET into SEBS matrix results in 31 % rise in tensile strength. The blend was further compatibilized using EMAA. Addition of 10 phr EMAA into the optimized system leads to 42.37 % increment in tensile strength. Further studies from results were analyzed at microscopic scale (SEM, DSC, TGA) and macroscopic scale (rheology and mechanical properties).