ADDITIVES | COMPATIBLISERS
chain branches and enhance melt strength at dosages around 1%. The effect can be employed in pipe extrusion to avoid sagging and in film extrusion to improve productivity and perfor- mance. “Trials on pipes shows improved long-term performance in pressure tests,” Öhrn says.
Above: Compatibilisers and coupling agents can improve the performance of compounds from mixed polyolefin waste streams
provide compatibility and to act as coupling agents for melt blends of polyethylene and polypropylene with inorganic fillers or additives, glass fibre, wood flour, natural fibres, and other materials. “These maleic anhydride grafted thermoplastic copolymers provide a very effective means to alter the dissimilar phases and enhance the physical, thermal and optical properties of the polymer blend,” says Paul Jackson at PolyGroup. “Novacom and Novacom-P have very high levels of graft content and available in both pellet and fine powder form. Pellet form products are most often used in compounding.”
Branching out Meanwhile, at Nexam Chemical, Chief Marketing Officer Lars Öhrn highlights grades in its Nexamite range that act as chain extenders or allow branch- ing in different types of polymers. Two recently launched products, Nexamite M480502 and M480504, are available in masterbatch form for use in linear polyethylenes. These multifunctional products improve processability by forming long
Figure 3: Effect of incorporation of Licocene functionalised wax on tensile strength and impact strength of a PP-based wood-plastic composite
Recycling ideas Nexam also offers Nexamite products to improve processability and properties of PET for films and foams, as well as specific grades for recycling applications. “For recycling of polyethylene, we have two new masterbatches, PE0180 and PE0191,” Öhrn says. “They enhance the properties during extrusion to allow more recycled material to be used.” Struktol Company has also been expanding its
line of additives for reused and recycled plastics and for polymer compounds that contain recycled content. Mike Fulmer, Vice President - Plastics and WPC, says these work in a slightly different way from traditional compatibilisation products. “These are what we call mechanical compatibilisers, there is no chemical reaction involved,” he says. “It’s almost like putting a hot-melt adhesive into a plastics compound.” Because the products work well when the
percentage of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclate is very high (up to 100%), the additives allow recyclers to use streams they might otherwise shy away from, Fulmer claims. “They can be used in streams with multiple polymers that have not been washed or well separated. These are relatively low-cost streams where putting in an additive can still make financial sense.” For streams containing predominantly engineer- ing plastics, Struktol offers products that combine a compatibiliser with lubricants to create a combina-
Figure 4: Effect of incorporation of Licocene functionalised wax on tensile strength of a chalk-filled PP compound
Source: Clariant 74 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2018
Source: Clariant
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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