Morphology and Properties of Injection-Moulded Recycled Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)/Poly(Ethylene Octene) Blends

Abstract

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (r-PET) was blended with poly(ethylene octene) (POE) and glycidyl-methacrylate-grafted poly(ethylene octene) (mPOE). The morphology and thermal properties of injection-moulded blends through the thickness of impact specimens were investigated. A remarkable difference was found in the through-thickness morphology and thermal properties of the injection-moulded blends. The three-layered structure (namely the skin, subskin, and core layers) showed a hierarchical structure. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the orientation of the dispersed-phase particles in the skin and subskin layers was much higher than that in the core layer. Differential scanning calorimetry indicated that the skin and core layers had the same component content, but the core layer had a higher degree of crystallinity than the skin layer.