Jeong Jin-Oh, Oh Yong-Hyeon, Jeong Sung-In, Park Jong-Seok
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Jeongeup-si 56212, Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 Sep 1;14(17):3607. doi: 10.3390/polym14173607.
Polymer blending is a method in which polymers with different properties are mixed so that each advantage appears in one polymer blend. Improved thermal and mechanical properties of blends can be prepared by blending with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) of a non-polar polymer and polyurethane (PU) of a polar polymer. However, a compatibilizer is required because it has the disadvantage that blending has low miscibility due to the different phases. In this study, HDPE/PU blends with new and excellent physical properties were developed through optimal composition with improved compatibility between the HDPE and PU. In addition, the effects of improving the physical properties through electron-beam crosslinking were confirmed. In general, a crosslinking structure of HDPE is formed by electron beam irradiation to increase its thermal stability and strength, but its elongation is rapidly decreased. In particular, the elongation of HDPE irradiated at 100 kGy was about 110%, which was decreased about five times compared to unirradiated HDPE (510%). However, the HDPE/PU blend with improved compatibility (PU 30) showed an elongation of about 450% while maintaining excellent strength (22.5 MPa), which was increased by about four times compared to the HDPE irradiated at 100 kGy. In particular, the thermal stability of PU 30 irradiated at 100 kGy at a high temperature (180 °C) was improved more than six times compared to the HDPE. Therefore, it is possible to develop HDPE/PU blends with new and excellent physical properties by improving compatibility and using electron beam crosslinking technology.
聚合物共混是一种将具有不同性能的聚合物混合在一起的方法，这样每种聚合物的优点都能体现在一种聚合物共混物中。通过将非极性聚合物高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）与极性聚合物聚氨酯（PU）共混，可以制备出具有改善的热性能和机械性能的共混物。然而，由于不同相之间的混溶性较低，共混存在缺点，因此需要一种增容剂。在本研究中，通过优化HDPE和PU之间的相容性组成，开发出了具有新型优异物理性能的HDPE/PU共混物。此外，还证实了通过电子束交联改善物理性能的效果。一般来说，通过电子束辐照形成HDPE的交联结构可以提高其热稳定性和强度，但其伸长率会迅速降低。特别是，在100 kGy辐照下的HDPE的伸长率约为110%，与未辐照的HDPE（510%）相比降低了约五倍。然而，具有改善相容性的HDPE/PU共混物（PU 30）在保持优异强度（22.5 MPa）的同时，伸长率约为450%，与在100 kGy辐照下的HDPE相比增加了约四倍。特别是，在100 kGy辐照下的PU 30在高温（180°C）下的热稳定性比HDPE提高了六倍以上。因此，通过改善相容性并使用电子束交联技术，可以开发出具有新型优异物理性能的HDPE/PU共混物。
