Synthesis and evaluation of compatibilizer based on interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) for PET/LDPE blends

ABSTRACT The present work considers the evaluation of recycled polymers, which are generally incompatible and are degraded during recycling with fatal consequences to their thermal and mechanical properties. Regarding this subject, the synthesis of a new compatibilizer in network form was carried out in order to counter such incompatibility. In this sense, low density polyethylene (LDPE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were compatibilized via the implementation of an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN), which was specifically synthesized to possess chemical groups that are akin to both plastics, PET and LDPE. The effects of the relative amount of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in the compatibilizer and the amount in the blends of PET/LDPE were evaluated. The results show that mechanical properties and interfacial adhesion of PET/LDPE blends were modified and improved with the addition of the synthesized compatibilizer compared with a commercial compatibilizer (polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride, PE‐g‐AA). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43704.