Improving the mechanical and physical properties of thermoplastic blends by partial replacement of industrial waste and inclusions of carb

Mohamed Yazid, Siti Nurashikin (2024) Improving the mechanical and physical properties of thermoplastic blends by partial replacement of industrial waste and inclusions of carb. Project Report. Melaka, Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka. (Submitted)

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Abstract

In response to the escalating issue of plastic pollution and the heightened demand for environmentally friendly and biodegradable products, this study explores the development of a sustainable advanced material. The research blends recycled polypropylene (r-PP) with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) through the melt blending method, optimizing conditions such as temperature, rotor speed, and blend ratio using a Design of Experiment (DOE) two-level full factorial approach. A total of 2^3 experimental designs were used to explore three variables with three replications at the center point. The optimal conditions identified were a temperature of 160°C, a rotor speed of 445.170 rpm, and a 70 wt.% r-PP/LDPE blend ratio. These conditions significantly improved mechanical properties, achieving a tensile strength of 12.777 MPa, a flexural strength of 16.504 MPa, and an impact strength of 0.305 J. The density of the blend was also higher with more r-PP (1.17975 g/cm³) compared to LDPE (1.0715 g/cm³). Following this, r-PP/LDPE blends were combined with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) at varying loadings (0,1, 3, 5, and 7 wt.%) to further enhance the material’s properties. Mechanical properties were tested, and phase morphology was analyzed using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The study found that optimizing mixing parameters and blend ratios improved themorphology of the minor phase and increased the partial miscibility between r-PP and LDPE polymers. This led to enhanced tensile, flexural, and impact strength. Adding GNPs nanofillers resulted in increases of 16.95% in tensile strength, 40.82% in flexural strength, and 22.62% in impact strength, demonstrating that GNPs effectively enhance both the mechanical and physical properties of the r-PP/LDPE-GNPs nanocomposite.

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