Abstract:
Rubber-thermoplastic blends are regarded as economical alternatives to the synthesis of
new polymers with moderate characteristics and the market for such materials has grown
dramatically because of the ability to recycle and process them in conventional
thermoplastic machinery. Polymer blending entails the combination of the attractive
features of several materials to improve the deficient characteristics of anyone of them,
with a reduction in the price of the end product. Blending of polymer waste further
reduces the price whilst helping to solve the waste disposal problem that industry currently
faces. Rubber rich blends produce a soft thermoplastic elastomer while plastic rich blends
produce a rubber toughened thermoplastic. However, literature reveals that the additions
of rubber to a thermoplastic matrix result in a significant overall deterioration in
mechanical properties.
