Authored By:
Abdou Khadri Dialloa, Emma Helala, Giovanna Gutiérreza, Milad Madineheib, Éric Davidb, Nicole Demarquetteb and Nima Moghimiana
- a NanoXplore Inc., 4500 Thimens Blvd, Saint-Laurent (Montreal), QC H4R 2P2, Canada
- b Mechanical Engineering Department, Ecole de Technologie Superieure, 1100 Notre-Dame Street West, Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada
Abstract: The purpose of this work is to demonstrate how the addition of graphene to a polyethylene resin formulation can allow for a large amount of recycled resin to be used without sacrificing the physical properties of the formulation. We investigated the effects of graphene addition on the rheology, thermal and mechanical properties of a prime high-density polyethylene (prime HDPE) with post-industrial recycled HDPE (recHDPE) blends. The viscosity and mechanical results, along with scanning electron microscopy analysis suggests that graphene acts as a reinforcing filler, thermal stabilizer, and potential compatibilizer for the blends of prime/recHDPE. The experimental findings showed that the addition of graphene resulted in a significant morphology refinement that facilitated replacing up to 50% of a prime HDPE with recHDPE, without compromising the mechanical performance.