The Effect of Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR-50) as a Compatibilizer on Properties of High-Density Polyethylene/Soya Powder Blends

Abstract

The effect of epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50) as a compatibilizer on properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/soya powder (SP) blends was studied. The ENR-50 was used at 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 parts per hundred resins (phr). 2.5 phr of ENR-50 was the optimum content to increase the tensile properties of HDPE/SP blends significantly, which attributed to the good compatibilization effect of ENR-50 as shown by the morphologies and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) results. The water absorption of HDPE/SP blends also increased with the increasing of ENR-50 content, due to the presence of epoxide group.

Keywords:

• Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50)
• High density polyethylene (HDPE)
• Soya powder (SP)
• Tensile properties
• Water absorption