Evaluation of mechanical, morphological and thermal properties of waste rubber tire powder/LLDPE blends

Polymer blends of WRT (waste rubber tire) powder/LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) have been attempted to prepare thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). The effects of maleic anhydride-grafted styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS-g-MA) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) on mechanical, morphological and thermal properties of the blends were evaluated using universal testing machine (UTM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). It was found that combination of SEBS-g-MA and DCP could better enhance the mechanical properties of WRT powder/LLDPE blends compared to SEBS-g-MA or DCP alone. Better compatibility between WRT powder and LLDPE was responsible for the enhancement of mechanical properties, as supported by SEM. The incorporation of SEBS-g-MA and DCP with WRT powder/LLDPE blends reduced the crystallizable perfectness of the blends, but slightly increased the thermal stability of the blends, as shown from DSC and TGA results.