Recycled Polymers: Eco-Design, Structure/Property Relationships and Compatibility II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2024 | Viewed by 2925

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Polymers Composites Hybrids (PCH) Team, Center of Materials - IMT MINES ALES, 6, Avenue de Clavières, F-30319 Alès, France
Interests: study of stryctural/property relationships in multi-phase polymeric systems; applications to control of the life cycle of polymeric materials; development of efficient second life polymer-based materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Further to the success of the Special Issue of Polymers entitled “Recycled Polymers: Eco-Design, Structure/Property Relationships and Compatibility”, we are delighted to reopen the Special Issue, now entitled “Recycled Polymers: Eco-Design, Structure/Property Relationships and Compatibility II”.

The efficient ecodesign of secondary raw materials from recycled multiphase polymer systems is performed through the following:

  • The study of the compatibility of mixtures of recycled polymers where work on our knowledge of the miscibility of mixtures depends on the different rates and the nature of the constituents;
  • The study of the aging of recycled polymers in terms of the structuring of end-of-life polymers, which may have changed their starting structure due to degradation or aging;
  • The compatibility of mixtures of polymers recycled by additive treatments and/or reactive pre-treatments, including integration of coupling agents or reactants in situ at the interface of the mixtures; this compatibility can be linked beforehand to reactive pre-treatments (plasma, corona, heat/chemical treatments) for each of the phases.

The selection of these three themes follows a study cycle logic on the development of formulations of blends of recycled polymers, in which compatibilization affects the morphology and therefore the miscibility of blends of polymers in relation to their structure.

Prof. Dr. Didier Perrin
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • polymer
  • composite
  • end of life
  • ecodesign
  • miscibility
  • compatibilisation
  • blend
  • ageing (aging)
  • treatment
  • secondary raw materials

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 13536 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study on Crystallisation for Virgin and Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): Multiscale Effects on Physico-Mechanical Properties
by Laurianne Viora, Marie Combeau, Monica Francesca Pucci, Didier Perrin, Pierre-Jacques Liotier, Jean-Luc Bouvard and Christelle Combeaud
Polymers 2023, 15(23), 4613; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15234613 - 4 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1283
Abstract
Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most used polymers for packaging applications. Modifications induced by service conditions and the means to make this matter circular have to be understood to really close the loop (from bottle to bottle for example). Physico-chemical properties, [...] Read more.
Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most used polymers for packaging applications. Modifications induced by service conditions and the means to make this matter circular have to be understood to really close the loop (from bottle to bottle for example). Physico-chemical properties, crystalline organisation, and mechanical behaviour of virgin PET (vPET) are compared with those of recycled PET (rPET). Using different combined experimental methods (Calorimetry, Small Angle X-ray Scattering [SAXS], Atomic Force Microscopy [AFM], Dynamic Mechanical Analysis [DMA], and uniaxial tensile test), it has been proven that even if there is no change in the crystallinity of PET, the crystallisation process shows some differences (size and number of spherulites). The potential impact of these differences on local mechanical characterisation is explored and tends to demonstrate the development of a homogeneous microstructure, leading to well-controlled and relevant local mechanical property characterisation. The main contribution of the present study is a better understanding of crystallisation of PET and recycled PET during forming processes such as thermoforming or Injection Stretch Blow Moulding (ISBM), during which elongation at the point of breaking can depend on the microstructure conditioned by the crystallisation process. Full article
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20 pages, 3794 KiB  
Article
Circular Design and Functionalized Upcycling of Waste Commodity Polystyrene via C-H Activation Using Microwave-Assisted Multicomponent Synthesis
by Shegufta Shetranjiwalla, Claire Cislak and Kevin M. Scotland
Polymers 2023, 15(14), 3108; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15143108 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1353
Abstract
The inefficient reuse and recycling of plastics—and the current surge of medical and take-out food packaging use during the pandemic—have exacerbated the environmental burden. This impels the development of alternative recycling/upcycling methods to pivot toward circularity. We report the use of the Mannich [...] Read more.
The inefficient reuse and recycling of plastics—and the current surge of medical and take-out food packaging use during the pandemic—have exacerbated the environmental burden. This impels the development of alternative recycling/upcycling methods to pivot toward circularity. We report the use of the Mannich three-component coupling reaction for the modification of polystyrene (PS) recovered with a 99.1% yield from waste food containers to form functionalized nitrogen and oxygen-rich PS derivatives. A series of functionalized PS with increasing moles of formaldehyde (F) and morpholine (M) (0.5 × 10−2, 1.0 × 10−2, and 2.0 × 10−2 mol) was achieved using a sol–gel-derived Fe-TiO2 catalyst in a solvent-free, microwave-assisted synthesis. Modified polymers were characterized with viscometry, 1H NMR, 13CNMR (DEPT) FTIR, XPS, UV, and TGA. Functionalization scaled with an increasing ratio, validating the 3CR approach. Further functionalization was constrained by a competing oxidative degradation; however, the varying hydrogen bond density due to nitrogen and oxygen-rich species at higher ratios was shown to compensate for molecular weight loss. The integration of the N-cyclic quaternary ammonium cations exhibited the potential of functionalized polymers for ion-exchange membrane applications. Full article
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