Choi Sungwoong, Zhao Jianxiang, Lee Patrick C, Choi Duyoung
Carbon & Light Materials Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Jeonju 54853, Republic of Korea.
Division of Mechanical Design Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2024 Jan 30;16(3):380. doi: 10.3390/polym16030380.
This study aims to improve the mechanical properties of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic composed primarily of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), which generally exhibit poor miscibility, by applying coupling agents and graphene. Here, we compare a commercially available coupling agent with a directly synthesized maleic anhydride (MA) coupling agent. When applied to a 5:5 blend of recycled PP and PE, an optimum tensile strength was achieved at a 3 wt% coupling agent concentration, with the MA coupling agent outperforming the commercial one. Characterization through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) revealed a PP:PE ratio of approximately 3:7 in the PCR plastics, with 4.86% heterogeneous materials present. Applying 3 wt% of the commercial and MA coupling agents to the PCR plastics resulted in a significant 53.9% increase in the tensile strength, reaching 11.25 MPa, and a remarkable 421.54% increase in the melt flow index (MFI), reaching 25.66 g/10 min. Furthermore, incorporating 5 wt% graphene led to a notable 64.84% increase in the tensile strength. In addition, the application of MA coupling agents and graphene improved the thermal stability of the PCR plastics. These findings show significant promise for addressing environmental concerns associated with plastic waste by facilitating the recycling of PCR plastics into new products. The utilization of coupling agents and graphene offers a viable approach to enhance the mechanical properties of PCR plastics, paving the way for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.
本研究旨在通过应用偶联剂和石墨烯来改善主要由聚丙烯（PP）和聚乙烯（PE）组成的消费后回收（PCR）塑料的机械性能，这两种材料通常表现出较差的混溶性。在此，我们将一种市售偶联剂与直接合成的马来酸酐（MA）偶联剂进行比较。当应用于回收PP和PE的5:5共混物时，在偶联剂浓度为3 wt%时可实现最佳拉伸强度，其中MA偶联剂的性能优于市售偶联剂。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）和热重分析（TGA）表征发现，PCR塑料中PP:PE的比例约为3:7，存在4.86%的异质材料。向PCR塑料中添加3 wt%的市售偶联剂和MA偶联剂，可使拉伸强度显著提高53.9%，达到11.25 MPa，熔体流动指数（MFI）显著提高421.54%，达到25.66 g/10 min。此外，加入5 wt%的石墨烯可使拉伸强度显著提高64.84%。此外，MA偶联剂和石墨烯的应用提高了PCR塑料的热稳定性。这些发现为解决与塑料废物相关的环境问题带来了重大希望，通过促进将PCR塑料回收再利用为新产品。偶联剂和石墨烯的利用为提高PCR塑料的机械性能提供了一种可行的方法，为可持续和环保解决方案铺平了道路。
