High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) are two of the world’s most common commodity plastics. However, recycling of these two plastics is challenging, as that these two plastics cannot be easily separated. Despite their similar chemical compositions, HDPE/iPP blends have poor mechanical properties. To address the situation, methods to efficiently blend these two plastics using compatibilizers have been explored. To this end, we synthesized well-defined HDPE/iPP copolymers of various architectures and microstructures by applying state-of-the-art pyridoamidohafnium catalysts for olefin polymerization. We then tested their capability as compatibilizers for HDPE/iPP blends. These copolymers displayed excellent compatibilization efficacies towards HDPE/<i>i</i>PP blends. At low loadings (1 wt%) of the compatibilizers, the tensile properties of HDPE/iPP blends are significantly improved. These compatibilizers enable a promising strategy for improving end-of-life of the most commonly used commodity plastics.

Copolymers for HDPE/<i>i</i>PP compatibilization

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Copolymers for HDPE/iPP compatibilization