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Improving the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Recycled PET Modified by Macromolecular Chain Extenders Synthesized by Controlled Radical Polymerization

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Abstract

In this work, a series of reactive copolymers of glycidyl methacrylate (G), styrene (S) and acrylonitrile (AN), were synthesized through reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and evaluated as macromolecular chain extenders in reactive extrusion of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET). The results obtained indicate that the addition of the reactive copolymers as chain extenders modifies the chain conformation in rPET causing low crystallization rate and low crystallinity. The physical and rheological properties (melt flow and intrinsic viscosity) of chain-extended rPET improved, rendering better processability. rPET modified with polymeric chain extenders shows improved rheological properties (complex viscosity, storage and loss modulus) and also displays higher elongation at break and impact properties as the GMA content in the chain extenders increase.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the technical support of Francisco Méndez and Luis Reyes from Resirene Applications Laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Juan José Benvenuta Tapia

  2. Departamento de Desarrollo de Productos y Procesos, Resirene S.A., Carretera Federal Puebla Tlaxcala Km 15.5, Xicohtzinco, Mexico

    Martin Hernández Valdez, Víctor Martin Díaz García & Heber Landeros Barrios

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 72540, Puebla, Mexico

    Jorge Cerna Cortez

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  1. Juan José Benvenuta Tapia
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  4. Víctor Martin Díaz García
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Correspondence to Juan José Benvenuta Tapia.

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Benvenuta Tapia, J.J., Hernández Valdez, M., Cerna Cortez, J. et al. Improving the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Recycled PET Modified by Macromolecular Chain Extenders Synthesized by Controlled Radical Polymerization. J Polym Environ 26, 4221–4232 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-018-1294-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-018-1294-4

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