Sepiolite as a nanofiller to improve mechanical and thermal behavior of recycled high-density polyethylene

Abstract

Regarding the current demand for controlling plastic pollution, recycling of polymer sounds a promising solution. However, recycling causes mechanical and thermal shortcomings in polymers. Addition of nanoparticles to recycled materials may overcome these shortcomings. Nanocomposites can be achieved either by blending or through polymerization. Sepiolite as a nanoparticle enhances the thermal properties of polymers. In this study, the effect of sepiolite as a nanoparticle has been investigated on the thermal and mechanical behavior of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Hardness, density, Vicat softening temperature, melt flow rate (MFR), and differential scanning calorimetry has been investigated on recycled HDPE containing different amount of sepiolite. Results showed that both the amount of recycled HDPE and the sepiolite content affect the mechanical and thermal behavior of samples. Increasing the amount of recycled component resulted in increasing of MFR, a slight increase in density, and decrease in Vicat softening point, hardness, melting temperature, and degree of crystallization. As an opposite effect of these to factors on crystallinity of HDPE, sepiolite content has better effects to be considered separately for each recycle content. Sepiolite can be introduced as a low-cost reinforcement filler in recycling industry for tuning new compositions based on process condition, or vice versa.

Recycling of thermoset waste/high‐density polyethylene composites: Examining the thermal properties

“…In general, the thermosetting polymers possess higher softening temperatures than the HDPE. Adding RTPW within the HDPE increased the overall thermal resistance and helped increase the VST 22 …”

“…Adding RTPW within the HDPE increased the overall thermal resistance and helped increase the VST. 22 Further increasing the addition of RTPW to 10% and 15%, the VSTs were increased to 75.1 and 76.4 C, respectively. These increments were ascribed to the consistent behavior of the thermosetting materials.…”

Potential contribution of nanotechnolgy to the circular economy of plastic materials

“…Among the inorganic nano-additives, metal oxide materials such as ZnO, TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles have found already applications in the recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene and polystyrene mainly as inorganic nano-reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties [26][27][28]. Clays are also widely used as additives in recycled plastics, as they are particularly effective in increasing the yield stress, the modulus of tension, rigidity, hardness, and resistance to humidity [23,29,30]. Fig.…”

Molecular Dynamics Insight into the Effect of Chain Extension and Nonbond Interaction in Nanoparticle-Enhanced Plastic and Elastomer Double-Phase Recyclable Polymer Materials

“…Currently, the majority of studies on PNC recycling focus on recycling pure polymers and incorporating NPs to create recycled PNCs. For instance, Farshchi et al 14 utilized sepiolite to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of recycled HDPE. Mishra et al 15 introduced graphene nanoplatelets/barium titanate into recycled PP and PET blends to produce electromagnetic interference-resistant nanocomposite fibers.…”

“…Currently, the majority of studies on PNC recycling focus on recycling pure polymers and incorporating NPs to create recycled PNCs. For instance, Farshchi et al utilized sepiolite to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of recycled HDPE. Mishra et al .…”