Environmental ageing studies of impact modified waste polypropylene

Toughness of rigid thermoplastic is an important mechanical property in polymer technology. In the present study, toughening of waste polypropylene (WPP) with ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber at different loading levels was carried out by melt blending at 180 °C. The EPDM-toughened WPP samples were characterized for its thermo-mechanical properties. The effect of carbon black (5 wt%) as a functional filler in WPP/EPDM to impart UV protection was also studied. The test sheets were subjected to natural weathering in variable climatic conditions for a 4-month period of time and were taken out at regular intervals for characterization. The waste PP underwent excessive degradation as the mechanical strength properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strengths were reduced drastically. On the other hand, WPP containing varying proportions of EPDM and carbon black showed better retention of strength properties. The percentage degree of crystallinity has been unusually increased after the environmental degradation due to chemi-crystallization. The impact-modified WPP which contains carbon black retained the processability even after the environmental aging. After aging, the non-stabilized systems were shown extensive change, whereas the structural integrity has been well retained of the toughened WPP containing carbon black as was evident from SEM and optical photomicroscopy.