Viscoelastic properties of polymer blends under elongation

Details

Supervisors

Van Ruymbeke, Evelyne

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil en chimie et science des matériaux, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Understanding the viscoelastic properties of polymers has been a subject of great interest for contemporary scientists for many years. Indeed, polymers are now used in almost every field that touches, directly or indirectly, the needs and interests of the population. Whether in the medical industry for the manufacture of prosthetics and medical devices, in the packaging sector to create durable and lightweight materials, or in advanced technologies such as aerospace and electronics, polymers play a crucial role. Elongational viscoelastic properties, in particular, are especially important. They allows, for example, to optimise manufacturing processes such as extrusion, injection molding and blow molding, ensuring more efficiency and high-quality production. In the extrusion of plastic films, a precise understanding of viscoelasticity allows a precise control of the stretching and thickness of the film, preventing unwanted deformations and structural weaknesses. In injection molding, viscoelastic properties influence the filling of molds and solidification, ensuring defect-free and homogeneous finished materials. For blow molding plastic bottles, viscoelasticity in elongation is essential for achieving uniform material distribution and strong bottle walls. The role of this master’s thesis is, therefore, to focus on the elongational viscoelastic properties of polystyrene samples of various sizes blended together in order to enhance the understanding of the impact of short-chain matrices on the elongational properties of a long linear polymer.