The Effect of Titanium Dioxide Surface Modification on the Dispersion, Morphology, and Mechanical Properties of Recycled PP/PET/TiO2 PBNANOs

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have recently appeared in PET waste because of the introduction of opaque PET bottles. We prepare polymer blend nanocomposites (PBNANOs) by adding hydrophilic (hphi), hydrophobic (hpho), and hydrophobically modified (hphoM) titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles to 80rPP/20rPET recycled blends. Contact angle measurements show that the degree of hydrophilicity of TiO2 decreases in the order hphi > hpho > hphoM. A reduction of rPET droplet size occurs with the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance controls the nanoparticles location. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM_ shows that hphi TiO2 preferentially locates inside the PET droplets and hpho at both the interface and PP matrix. HphoM also locates within the PP matrix and at the interface, but large loadings (12%) can completely cover the surfaces of the droplets forming a physical barrier that avoids coalescence, leading to the formation of smaller droplets. A good correlation is found between the crystallization rate of PET (determined by DSC) and nanoparticles location, where hphi TiO2 induces the highest PET crystallization rate. PET lamellar morphology (revealed by TEM) is also dependent on particle location. The mechanical behavior improves in the elastic regime with TiO2 addition, but the plastic deformation of the material is limited and strongly depends on the type of TiO2 employed.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)‐based nanocomposite films as greenhouse covering material: Environmental sustainability, mechanical durability, and thermal stability

“…34,35 Matxinandiarena et al showed that a good correlation was found between the crystallization rate of PET and the location of hydrophilic TiO 2 NPs, whereas the NPs resulted in the high PET crystallization rate. 15 They also found that the PET lamellar size and morphology were dependent on the NPs dispersion. Despite the studies on the weight fraction effect of NPs, more studies are still required to the mixing effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic NPs on the thermomechanical properties of the nanocomposite.…”

“…The proper performance of nanocomposites could be attributed to the type of polymer chain interactions, size, specific surface area, and the loading weight of nanoparticles (NPs) and their dispersion rate in the polymer matrix. [14][15][16] The efficient load transfer across the NP-matrix interface and the interactions of nanofiller with the polymer matrix are considered as essential parameters to improve the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite, where the nanofiller acts as a Pickering emulsion promoter. 14,15 The nanofiller can be positioned as the interface between the two immiscible phases, such that surface tension can be reduced by simultaneous reducing particle size for blends with island-sea type morphologies, in which the value of one of the components in the blend is greater than 60 wt %.…”

“…[14][15][16] The efficient load transfer across the NP-matrix interface and the interactions of nanofiller with the polymer matrix are considered as essential parameters to improve the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite, where the nanofiller acts as a Pickering emulsion promoter. 14,15 The nanofiller can be positioned as the interface between the two immiscible phases, such that surface tension can be reduced by simultaneous reducing particle size for blends with island-sea type morphologies, in which the value of one of the components in the blend is greater than 60 wt %. 15 Furthermore, the new inter-phase layer formed on the outer shell of nanofiller can be a barrier to adhering NPs during the processing process.…”

“…14,15 The nanofiller can be positioned as the interface between the two immiscible phases, such that surface tension can be reduced by simultaneous reducing particle size for blends with island-sea type morphologies, in which the value of one of the components in the blend is greater than 60 wt %. 15 Furthermore, the new inter-phase layer formed on the outer shell of nanofiller can be a barrier to adhering NPs during the processing process. 16 Nanofillers with hydrophobic properties can be suitable for the fabrication of nanocomposites.…”

Phase Behavior and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of IF-WS2 Reinforced PP–PET Blend-Based Nanocomposites

“…Owing to the characteristics of PP, it is a primary structural material for 5G antennas, but it needs several modifications for effective and durable service [ 14 ]. Considering this, several reports that blend PP with PET could be the best choice to achieve excellent toughness, wear resistance, chemical stability, and thermal stability [ 15 , 16 ]. However, PET as a reinforcing phase with PP to make copolymer materials may be a convenient method to improve thermal stability, because a neat PP–PET blend usually exhibits rough, unstable phase morphology, and poor mechanical properties [ 17 ].…”