Toughening of poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) bottle wastes by modified styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) elastomer

Abstract

Modified SBR was blended with dried PET bottle wastes in an internal mixer. During the process mechanical and morphological properties were studied. When PET bottle wastes were blended with unmodified SBR, the final blend had a rough morphology and low impact strength. In contrary, blending of PET with modified SBR lead to smooth and fine morphology. Utilizing grafted SBR in PET blends creates an enormous difference in particle size and morphology, which is a result of powerful interactions and effective chemical bonding between the components of the blend. The final product had high impact strength in comparison with PET and unmodified SBR blend/These results are mainly related to formation in situ of PET/SBR graft copolymer in interface, which is produced by chemical reaction among active maleic anhydride groups and active PET groups. Copyright © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA,.