Promoting the strength of Impact Copolymer Polypropylene (ICP) via innovative compounding approaches

AlEidan, Khalid E.; Kenawy, El-Refaie; Mandour, Hamada S. A.; Azaam, Mohamed M.; AlOtaibi, Bander S.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.258606.9096

Promoting the strength of Impact Copolymer Polypropylene (ICP) via innovative compounding approaches

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Polymer Research Group, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527 Egypt;

² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

10.21608/ejchem.2024.258606.9096

Abstract

A significant amount of ethylene-containing ethylene-propylene random copolymer (EPR) and isotactic polypropylene homopolymer make up the typical polypropylene impact copolymer (ICP). The manufacturing process involves consecutive polymerization in many reactors. Although ICPs have benefits over HPP, some applications need certain features of ICPs, such as the balance between impact strength and stiffness (I/S), among other factors. Nevertheless, technical constraints impose restrictions on the maximum EPR level and the greatest isotacticity in the homopolymer continuous phase, which are essential for effectively controlling the I/S balance. Previous studies sought to improve the qualities of ICP by incorporating it with materials that contain desirable characteristics, ideally from the same material family such as polyolefins, or from distinct families. This research examines two blend systems: the first system includes combining ICP with HPP, while the second system involves blending various grades of ICP. Three grades of high-performance polypropylene (HPP), each with different melt flow rates (molecular weights), were used as a non-continuous phase. In contrast, grades of impact copolymer polypropylene (ICP) with varied ethylene-rubber phases and molecular weights were employed as the continuous phase. The incorporation of 25% HPP into the continuous phase of the blend, with ICP, did not result in any improvement in the stiffness and impact strength of the final blend products. Nevertheless, the combination of several ICPs demonstrated enhanced resilience. The results indicate that a rubber mixture with evenly distributed particles and a uniform size distribution significantly improves impact resistance. Specifically, one blend showed a 52% increase in impact resistance compared to the original ICP, while another blend showed a 20% increase. In summary, our evaluation highlights the significance of a particular formulation, demonstrating that a well-distributed rubber composition and uniform particle size distribution greatly boost impact resistance in certain mixtures, resulting in significant gains compared to the original ICP.

Keywords

Main Subjects