Anchoring Ties: Improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance in HDPE with Styrenic Triblock Copolymer

Amir Khaki; Christian Gerlach; Nils Leone; Jules Harings; Kim Ragaert; Rudinei Fiorio

doi:10.1021/acsapm.4c02936

Anchoring Ties: Improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance in HDPE with Styrenic Triblock Copolymer

Amir Khaki, Christian Gerlach, Nils Leone, Jules Harings, Kim Ragaert, Rudinei Fiorio^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Postconsumer recycled plastics typically exhibit low environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), which limits their use in the rigid packaging industry. A styrenic triblock copolymer increased the ECSR of virgin and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to 130%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed well-dispersed styrene-b-ethylene-b-ethylene/propylene-b-styrene copolymer domains within HDPE spherulites. It is postulated that the rigid polystyrene domains, interconnected by flexible polyolefin midblocks, act as anchors that delay disentanglement and pullout of the tie molecules. Strain hardening modulus and in situ Fourier-transform infrared-tensile tests validated this reinforcing effect, indicating a promising approach to improving the recyclability of HDPE.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	14283-14289
Number of pages	7
Journal	ACS Applied Polymer Materials
Volume	6
Issue number	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.4c02936
Publication status	Published - 13 Dec 2024

Keywords

High-Density Polyethylene
Environmental Stress CrackingResistance
Postconsumer Recycled Plastic
StyrenicBlock Copolymer
Tie Molecules
POLYETHYLENE RESINS
MOLECULAR-WEIGHT
GROWTH

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title = "Anchoring Ties: Improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance in HDPE with Styrenic Triblock Copolymer",

abstract = "Postconsumer recycled plastics typically exhibit low environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), which limits their use in the rigid packaging industry. A styrenic triblock copolymer increased the ECSR of virgin and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to 130%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed well-dispersed styrene-b-ethylene-b-ethylene/propylene-b-styrene copolymer domains within HDPE spherulites. It is postulated that the rigid polystyrene domains, interconnected by flexible polyolefin midblocks, act as anchors that delay disentanglement and pullout of the tie molecules. Strain hardening modulus and in situ Fourier-transform infrared-tensile tests validated this reinforcing effect, indicating a promising approach to improving the recyclability of HDPE.",

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author = "Amir Khaki and Christian Gerlach and Nils Leone and Jules Harings and Kim Ragaert and Rudinei Fiorio",

year = "2024",

month = dec,

day = "13",

doi = "10.1021/acsapm.4c02936",

language = "English",

volume = "6",

pages = "14283--14289",

journal = "ACS Applied Polymer Materials",

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publisher = "American Chemical Society",

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T1 - Anchoring Ties

T2 - Improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance in HDPE with Styrenic Triblock Copolymer

AU - Khaki, Amir

AU - Gerlach, Christian

AU - Leone, Nils

AU - Harings, Jules

AU - Ragaert, Kim

AU - Fiorio, Rudinei

PY - 2024/12/13

Y1 - 2024/12/13

N2 - Postconsumer recycled plastics typically exhibit low environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), which limits their use in the rigid packaging industry. A styrenic triblock copolymer increased the ECSR of virgin and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to 130%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed well-dispersed styrene-b-ethylene-b-ethylene/propylene-b-styrene copolymer domains within HDPE spherulites. It is postulated that the rigid polystyrene domains, interconnected by flexible polyolefin midblocks, act as anchors that delay disentanglement and pullout of the tie molecules. Strain hardening modulus and in situ Fourier-transform infrared-tensile tests validated this reinforcing effect, indicating a promising approach to improving the recyclability of HDPE.

AB - Postconsumer recycled plastics typically exhibit low environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR), which limits their use in the rigid packaging industry. A styrenic triblock copolymer increased the ECSR of virgin and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to 130%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed well-dispersed styrene-b-ethylene-b-ethylene/propylene-b-styrene copolymer domains within HDPE spherulites. It is postulated that the rigid polystyrene domains, interconnected by flexible polyolefin midblocks, act as anchors that delay disentanglement and pullout of the tie molecules. Strain hardening modulus and in situ Fourier-transform infrared-tensile tests validated this reinforcing effect, indicating a promising approach to improving the recyclability of HDPE.

KW - High-Density Polyethylene

KW - Environmental Stress CrackingResistance

KW - Postconsumer Recycled Plastic

KW - StyrenicBlock Copolymer

KW - Tie Molecules

KW - POLYETHYLENE RESINS

KW - MOLECULAR-WEIGHT

KW - GROWTH

U2 - 10.1021/acsapm.4c02936

DO - 10.1021/acsapm.4c02936

M3 - Article

SN - 2637-6105

VL - 6

SP - 14283

EP - 14289

JO - ACS Applied Polymer Materials

JF - ACS Applied Polymer Materials

IS - 23

ER -

Anchoring Ties: Improving Environmental Stress Crack Resistance in HDPE with Styrenic Triblock Copolymer

Abstract

Keywords

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