Macromolecular Insights into the Altered Mechanical Deformation Mechanisms of Non-Polyolefin Contaminated Polyolefins.

Current recycling technologies rarely achieve 100% pure plastic fractions from a single polymer type. Often, sorted bales marked as containing a single polymer type in fact contain small amounts of other polymers as contaminants. Inevitably, this will affect the properties of the recycled plastic.

Microstructural Contributions of Different Polyolefins to the Deformation Mechanisms of Their Binary Blends.

The mixing of polymers, even structurally similar polyolefins, inevitably leads to blend systems with a phase-separated morphology. Fundamentally understanding the changes in mechanical properties and occurring deformation mechanisms of these immiscible polymer blends, is important with respect to potential mechanical recycling. This work focuses on the behavior of binary blends of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) under tensile deformation and their related changes in crystallinity and morphology.