Objective
Objectives and content
Unexpectedly, it has been found that when mixtures of incompatible polymers are blended in an ultra-high shear (10(6) S(-l)) internal mixer, developed by Newplast (partner), they are transformed into real alloys exhibiting excellent physical homogeneity and good mechanical properties. This technique, developed originally for polymer waste recycling, has potential applications for the development of polymer alloys without the addition of compatibilizers.
It is believed that the ultra-high shear rates induce mechano-chemical reactions in the polymer melts but these have not be investigated and, as a result, the method is not predictable.
The objectives of the basic research are:
- to develop an understanding of the underlying chemistry and physics of the mechanically induced compatibilization during the ultra-high shear (UHS) process.
- to determine the feasibility of converting the process from a batch to a continuous one.
- to assess the viability of the UHS materials produced in existing industrial applications.
The project consortium comprises the manufacturer/inventor of the ultra-high shear internal mixer (Newplast (FR), the Universities of Lille (FR) (USTL), Aveiro (PT) (U.A.) and Louvain-la-Neuve (BE) (UCL), who bring polymer mechanical properties, polymer filler and polymer melt chemistry expertises respectively, CRIF (BE), a research Centre experienced in polymer machinery development and scale-up and an end-user (Derbit Spa (IT ))
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
1348 LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE
Belgium