Abstract
The effect of CaCO3 on the mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate/polypropylene (PET/PP) blends with styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) as a compatibilizer was investigated. Samples with different compositions of PET/PP/CaCO3 blend were prepared by injection molding method with CaCO3 content of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%. The ratio of PET/PP was fixed at 90/10, while compatibilizer SEBS had a fixed ratio of 5%. The samples were formed according to the ASTM D638, ASTM D790, and ISO 868 standards. The results show that adding 2% of CaCO3 helps to improve the mechanical properties of the plastic sample. Specifically, tensile strength and the flexural strength increase as CaCO3 increases from 0 to 2%. With 2% of CaCO3, the tensile strength and the flexural strength gain the highest value of 34.79 MPa, and 60.59 MPa, respectively. However, if the sample content is more than 4% CaCO3, both the tensile strength and the flexural strength will experience a decline as the percentage of CaCO3 rises. The SEM microstructure indicates that CaCO3 particles are well dispersed on the PET substrate. Additionally, the number of particles increases when enhancing the CaCO3 content in the blends.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge HCMC University of Technology, Dong Nhan Phat Co., Ltd and Education and Material Testing Laboratory (HCMUTE). They gave an opportunity to join their team, access the laboratory and research machines. Without their appreciated support, it would not be possible to conduct this research.
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Hong-Nga Thi Pham is a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, HCMC University of Technology and Education, HCM City, Vietnam. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Processing Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan Province, China. Her research fields include polymers, laser cladding, and 3D printing.
Van-Thuc Nguyen is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan and a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, HCMC University of Technology and Education, Vietnam. His research interests include material science, nanomaterials, and molecular dynamics simulation.
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Pham, HN.T., Nguyen, VT. Effect of calcium carbonate on the mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate/polypropylene blends with styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene. J Mech Sci Technol 34, 3925–3930 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-2201-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-2201-1