Improving Polymer Compatibilization with Applications in Mixed-Plastics Recycling

Poor miscibility in polymer blends is a major obstacle for the recycling of mixed-waste plastics. Current recycling processes require plastic waste sorting because phase separation in inhomogeneous polymer blends weakens the tensile strength of recycled materials. Copolymer additives are a promising path toward compatibilization, with ongoing research that seeks to find optimal copolymer architecture. In-situ formed dynamic crosslinks have also been found to facilitate large-scale rearrangement and compatibilization in blends without additives, which suggests that additives with dynamic crosslinking capability may be a highly effective route to compatibilization. This project conducts molecular simulations with varied copolymer architecture and crosslinking propensity. We find that dynamic crosslinks and copolymer additives each independently reduce surface tension and critical temperature, and we assess the relative effectiveness of these complementary strategies.