A strong and impact-resistant plastic that is comparable to steel could be on its way to more efficient processing thanks to new strategies introduced and tested by researchers based in England.
They published their results on 18 Oct 2024 in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials .
The team proposed and tested four approaches to improve the melt processibility — the process of melting a liquid material and reforming it into a solid shape or structure — of the material known as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, or UHMWPE. Melt processibility can become complicated when the material has high melt viscosity, meaning the liquid is thick and resists flow, according to corresponding author Dermot O'Hare, professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford.
"UHMWPE, defined by a molecular weight in the millions of Daltons that indicates the molecule's large size and complex nature, is a specialty grade of polyethylene considered an important engineering plastic due to its desirable properties," O'Hare said, noting applications exist for UHMWPE in the biomedical, maritime, aerospace and ballistics sectors. "However, due the long chains comprising the molecule creating entanglements, UHMWPE can be difficult to process. We investigated four strategies to improve UHMWPE melt processability, which is the chief limiting factor to applications of this high-performance polymer."
The team first used active site engineering, which can accelerate and enhance material reactions, and found that it could substantially disentangle the large, complex molecule. By again targeting the chains comprising the material, the researchers next employed chain transfer agents, or molecular modifiers, to change the polyethylene's weight and distribution. They also found that introducing small molecules into the UHMWPE improved the material's processability without sacrificing the desired mechanical properties. Finally, the researchers determined that blending UHMWPE with high-density polyethylene helped improve processability.
"These approaches and combinations thereof are considered crucial to expanding the applicability of UHMWPE," O'Hare said.
Next, the researchers said they plan to further investigate how combining various processing approaches may enable development of materials with novel properties.
Other co-authors are Clement G. Collins Rice, Alexander Evans and Zoë R. Turner, Chemistry Research Laboratory in the University of Oxford Department of Chemistry; and Jirut Wattoom, SENFI UK Ltd., Centre of Innovation and Enterprise, Begbroke Science Park, and SCG Chemicals PLC. Collins Rice is also affiliated with SENFI UK Ltd., Centre of Innovation and Enterprise, Begbroke Science Park.
SCG Chemicals PLC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Impact Acceleration Account supported this research.
Industrial Chemistry & Materials is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with APCs currently waived. ICM publishes significant innovative research and major technological breakthroughs in all aspects of industrial chemistry and materials, especially the important innovation of the low-carbon chemical industry, energy, and functional materials. Check out the latest ICM news on the blog .
