Synergistic toughening of polypropylene with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and elastomer-olefin block copolymers

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with elastomer-olefin block copolymers (OBC) were prepared using an ultrasonic twin-screw extruder, and the mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the blends were investigated. The interfacial interactions among PP, OBC, and UHMWPE showed that the PP/OBC/UHMWPE blends formed a core-shell structure with UHMWPE as the core and OBC as the shell. The crystallization temperature and the crystallinity of the blends were improved for the heterogeneous nucleation between PP- and OBC-covered UHMWPE particles. Moreover, the mechanical and thermal properties of PP/UHMWPE blends have also been greatly improved by adding OBC. Furthermore, it was evident that the OBC-covered HHMWPE particles became smaller under the application of ultrasonic irradiation, so the interfacial interactions between the particles and the PP matrix were enhanced and the impact strength of the blends was improved.