Reclaimed rubber/poly(e-caprolactone) blends: structure, mechanical, and thermal properties

Abstract

The amount of elastomeric waste, especially from tires is constantly increasing on a globalscale. The recycling of these residua should be considered a priority. Compounding the waste rubberswith other polymers can be an excellent alternative to reuse waste materials. This procedure requiressolving the issue of the lack of compatibility between the waste rubber particles and other polymers.Simultaneously, there is a claim for introducing biodegradable plastics materials to reduce theirenvironmental impact. In this work, reclaimed rubber/poly(e-caprolactone) (RR/PCL) blends areproposed to enhance the recycling and upcycling possibilities of waste rubbers. The results showthat the addition of PCL to the RR allows obtaining blends with improved mechanical properties,good thermal stability, and enhanced interfacial compatibility between the used components. Structureand properties of the proposed RR/PCL have been studied by means of static and dynamic mechanicaltesting, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)-FTIR analysis

Postprint (published version)