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Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a polymer used for diverse applications such as automobile parts, electronic components, and consumer goods owing to properties like high impact strength, lightweight nature, and chemical resistance. However, the extensive use of ABS polymer generates a significant amount of waste, which has environmental repercussions due to improper disposal, such as landfilling and incineration, which severely threaten the ecosystems around us. Recycling ABS waste reduces the burden on landfills and enables us to reuse waste ABS, which aligns with the principles of sustainability. This article discusses the processes involved in recycling ABS waste, including collection, segregation, recycling technologies, preparation of blends, and applications of recycled ABS. Mechanical and chemical recycling technologies are comprehensively covered as these are the two main recycling technologies employed for ABS waste recycling. This review attempts to cover recent ABS recycling techniques and highlight the significance of ABS plastic recycling for the circular economy. Recycling ABS waste is vital in extending its lifespan, leading to more cost-effective and resource-efficient industrial processes. Embracing the transformative potential of ABS waste unlocks many possibilities and opportunities for innovation while upholding sustainability principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the incorporation of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and polyphenylene ether-grafted maleic anhydride copolymer (FB) into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/polyphenylene oxide (PPO) blend has been investigated to enhance the compatibility and performance of the blends. ABS/PPO blend (AP) with the weight ratio of ABS/PPO = 70/30 with 5 wt% loading of FB and different weight contents of HNTs were elaborated by melt blending process, and their properties were studied. The SEM observation revealed that AP blend exhibited dispersed phases of PPO droplets with apparent gaps between PPO and ABS phases, indicating poor adhesion between the polymers in the blend. As the compatibilizer, FB effectively enhanced the inter-phase interaction, minimizing the formation of interfacial gaps, evidenced by the SEM images, leading to the adhesion between ABS, PPO, and HNTs phases. As a result, the mechanical performance of the AP blend was significantly improved with the addition of FB and HNTs. At 5 wt% of HNT, the AP/FB/HNT blend exhibited the tensile strength of 37.47 MPa and flexural strength of 59.09 MPa compared to 26.60 MPa and 39.45 MPa of neat AP, respectively. The glass transition temperature of the modified blends showed shifts compared to the neat AP, which indicates the improvement in miscibility of the modified-AP blends. The thermal stability and flame resistance of the blends were also enhanced with the introduction of HNTs and FB, evidenced by the V-1 rating in the UL-94 test and the increase in limiting oxygen index (LOI). These results demonstrated that the incorporation of HNTs and FB is a promising and straightforward method to improve the properties of ABS/PPO blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low mechanical properties of polybutylene succinate (PBS) limit its applications in the preparation of biodegradable filtration membranes. In this work, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was used to improve the mechanical properties of filtration membranes for the first time. Polybutylene succinate (PBS)/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) blends containing 10, 20, and 30 wt% ABS were prepared by dissolving in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and then membranes were prepared through immersion precipitation. Surface and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), porosity measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water contact angle and water content measurements, tensile test, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to characterize the membranes. Filtration experiments were performed to treat fruit juice production wastewater to determine the rejection of turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Also, the membrane tendency to fouling was assessed. The results of mechanical properties showed that with increasing the amount of ABS, the mechanical properties of the samples improved so that by increasing the ABS loading to 10, 20, and 30 wt%, the tensile strength increased by 44%, 131%, and 188%, and the elastic modulus increased by 17%, 78%, and 99%, respectively, compared to the mechanical properties of pure PBS. The blend membranes had less tendency to irreversible fouling than the neat PBS membrane regarding the filtration results. The results of wastewater filtration indicate that the COD rejection dropped and steady permeate flux raised with increasing ABS amount. All the membranes rejected 100% of turbidity and thus can be utilized in wastewater pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of head and end groups of the polybutadiene synthesized by anionic polymerization of butadiene using tert-butyllithium as an initiator has been established using methods of NMR spectroscopy with T2-filter as well as 2D 1H, 13C HMBC and HSQC NMR spectroscopy. The spectral signals of head groups, which consist of tert-butyl groups connected with cis-1,4, trans-1,4 or 1,2-units of polybutadiene chain, were identified for the first time. A new method for the quantitative calculation of the content of head and end groups with different microstructures was proposed. It was shown that the total content of 1,4-units (both cis-1,4 and trans-1,4) in terminal groups is considerably higher than that in a main chain of polybutadiene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to investigate the effect of montmorillonite (MMT) content on the flame retardancy, physico-mechanical properties of electron beam irradiated polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) blends. Based on this research, it is revealed that the increase in MMT loading level has gradually increased the flame retardancy and thermal stability of the flame retarded PC/ABS blends, which is due to the induction of char residues formed by the presence of MMT particles as measured in TGA analysis. Besides, the introduction of electron beam irradiation has gradually improved the flame retardancy (LOI) by forming crosslinking networks in PC/ABS blends (as evident by the increment in gel content) which restricts the permeability of volatile and air through the polymer matrix. The addition of low MMT amount (2 phr) has reduced the elongation at break which is attributed to the intercalation of polymer matrix into the interlayer galleries of MMT particles as evident by increment in d spacing. However, the higher amount of MMT particles tended to form agglomeration and thus reduced the tensile strength of flame retarded PC/ABS blends. The increase in irradiation dosages has gradually induced the Young's modulus of flame retarded PC/ABS blends by forming crosslinking networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of epoxy-terminated butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer (ETBN) liquid rubber-intercalated organic montmorillonite (OMMT)-filled epoxy nanocomposites were prepared. The dispersion of OMMT was studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscope analysis. The mechanical strength and damping properties of the resultant nanocomposites were characterized by mechanical tests and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. Thermal stabilities of the pure and modified epoxy samples were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Results revealed that the addition of OMMT and ETBN could improve the damping properties greatly and decrease the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites while the high tensile strength of composites was still maintained. Besides, with the addition of the second nano-filler (nano-CaCO3 or nano-SiO2) into the nanocomposites, the tensile strength of the nanocomposites was further enhanced without decreasing the high damping properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/nanoclay/polymethyl methacrylate nanocomposites were chemically foamed using injection molding process under different processing conditions. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and standard experimental tests were employed to study the morphological and mechanical properties of nanocomposite foams. The hardness is increased by 54%, and tensile strength is improved by 10% in samples containing 2 wt% of nanoclay compared to pure polymer. The effect of input parameters on the morphological and mechanical properties is studied using Taguchi approach. According to analysis of variance results, holding pressure is the most effective parameter on cell size, cell density, and relative density with the contribution of 90%, 70%, and 41%, respectively. On the other hand, nanoclay content is the most effective parameter on the tensile strength and hardness with the contribution of 79% and 89%, respectively. Analytical hierarchy process is used as a multi-criteria decision-making method in order to select the best alternative among different samples considering different morphological or mechanical criteria based on sensitivity analyses. Polymeric nanocomposite foam sample produced at 2 wt% nanoclay, injection pressure of 140 MPa, and holding pressure of 110 MPa was the best alternative in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR)/anhydrous copper sulfate (CuSO4) composites were prepared by coordination cross-linking. CuSO4 particles of different sizes are obtained by ball milling in acetone. During heat pressing at 190 °C, a strong cross-linking reaction occurred, which resulted from coordination between cupric ions and nitrile groups. Results showed that the mean size of CuSO4 particles decreased from 7.1 to 0.4 μm after ball milling. Accordingly, the number of coordination cross-linking points increased remarkably, which resulted in an increase in the glass transition temperature and equilibrium torque of the composites. Two models were employed to discuss the cross-link density and demonstrated that both CuSO4 particles and cupric ions contributed to the improvement of cross-linking points. It was noteworthy that this composite exhibited high strength and toughness, with 73.5 MPa tensile strength and 423.7% elongation at break. Moreover, a unique stretching phenomenon, including the features of both rubber and plastic, was observed and explained in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work was focused on microwave absorption and electrical properties of conducting carbon black-filled/styrene-butadiene-styrene and polyaniline-filled/styrene-butadiene-styrene prepared in a mechanical mixer. Composites containing 1.0, 4.0 and 10 wt% of carbon black were studied. Conducting composites of polyaniline doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid containing 5.0, 15, 20 and 30 wt% of doped polyaniline were also investigated. Complex permittivity measurements were obtained using the small perturbation theory for room temperature measurements carried in two cavity resonators at 2.47 and 5.0 GHz. The cavity perturbation technique is based on the changes in the resonant frequency and quality factor of the cavity due to the presence of a sample inside the cavity. The influence of filling component and composition (wt%) on complex permittivity of the materials was evaluated. As expected, both the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity increased with conductive filler content. However, composites with carbon black as filler have increased responses when compared with doped polyaniline since it needs more wt% content to get similar results. The high value of absorption coefficient and low value of skin depth were obtained for SBS/CB 10 wt%. The high value of electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness for SBS/CB 10 wt% suggests that this composite can be used as a promising shielding electromagnetic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to study the activity of several alkylimidazolium salts of bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imides to obtain a very fast vulcanization of the butadiene-styrene (SBR) elastomer. Ionic liquids (ILs) such as alkylimidazolium salts with ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, hexyl-, decyl-, dodecyl-, and hexadecyl chains in the cation together with nanosized zinc oxide are used to develop elastomer composites with very short vulcanization time and a reduced amount of vulcanization activator. In this article, we discuss the effect of the ILs with respect to the length of alkyl chain in their cation on the vulcanization kinetics of rubber compounds. The influence of ILs on the crosslink density as well as the mechanical properties of the vulcanizates and their resistance to thermo-oxidative and UV aging were also studied. ILs resulted in a shortened optimal vulcanization time and reduced the onset vulcanization temperature compared to zinc oxide containing rubber compound. This is very important from a technological point of view. A considerable increase in the crosslink density of vulcanizates was also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(1,4-butadiene)- graft-poly( L-lactide) copolymers were efficiently prepared via the grafting-from strategy using a combination of ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of a hydroxyl-functionalized cyclobutene monomer and organocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide. The copolymers were characterized by NMR, MALDI-TOF, SEC, TGA, and DSC demonstrating that well-defined polyester-grafted poly(1,4-butadiene) were obtained through the reported methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocomposites of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) reinforced with silane-treated peanut shell powder (SPSP) of different filler loadings and particle sizes were prepared by two roll mixing mills with sulfur as a vulcanizing agent. The cure characteristics of composites were studied, and they vulcanized at 160 °C. Test samples were prepared by compression moulding, and their physicomechanical properties, such as tensile strength tear strength, modulus, hardness, and abrasion resistance of SBR vulcanizates, were studied with filler loading 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 parts per hundred rubber (phr). Composites with 10 phr filler having small particle size exhibited better properties. The interfacial adhesion between filler and matrix has a major role in the properties of composites. Surface modification of PSP was done by silane coupling agent to improve the interfacial adhesion and it characterised by FTIR, XRD, TGA, UV, and SEM. Better properties are shown by the composites with SPSP. Thermal stability of the composites was also determined using thermogravimetric analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a novel way of greatly enhancing the electrical and thermal stability of copper fiber (CuF)-filled acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) composites via the incorporation of small amount of tin-lead (Sn-Pb) alloy. It was observed that many fibers are soldered together by Sn-Pb, and a continuous CuF/Sn-Pb network is formed throughout the ABS matrix. As a result, the percolation concentration of ABS/CuF composite containing 1 vol% Sn-Pb is lower than for ABS/CuF composite, and the addition of Sn-Pb to the ABS composites containing 5 vol% CuF leads to a further decrease of electrical resistivity compared to ABS/CuF composites with corresponding filler contents. Furthermore, the electrical resistivity of ABS/CuF/Sn-Pb composite shows no temperature dependence, and remains constant during the thermal post-treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conductivities of emulsion polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR) vulcanizates filled with alumina (AlO), zinc oxide (ZnO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), silicon carbide (SiC), are measured by steady-state method. The effects of types and loadings of the fillers and their mixture on thermal conductivities of the ESBR vulcanizates are investigated. The results show that the thermal conductivity of ESBR vulcanizates filled with alumina or zinc oxide, increases nearly linearly with increasing loading when the filler loading exceeded 20 phr; the ESBR vulcanizates filled with CNTs have the highest thermal conductivity at a given filler loading in comparison with other composite vulcanizates. At a given loading of 100 phr, the ESBR vulcanizate filled with two different particle sizes SiC of 1-3 and 5-11 μm at the mass ratio of 1:1 has the highest thermal conductivity and relatively good mechanical properties. The experimental results are analyzed using Geometric mean model and Agari's equation to explain the effect of filler types and particle sizes on the formation of thermal conductive networks. The thermal conductivity of the ESBR vulcanizates filled with AlO or ZnO or CNTs could be well predicted by optimized parameters using Agari's equation for a polymer composite filled with mixtures of particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-phase microemulsion regions at 25 and 60 °C and the polymerization at 60 °C in o/w microemulsion formed by 1,3-butadiene, water, and a mixture of the surfactants, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and didodecyldimethylamonium bromide (3/1 w/w), are reported. The polybutadienes obtained here have similar characteristics to those of their homologous obtained by emulsion polymerization, with the only difference that the average particle size of the former (25-30 nm) was smaller by an order of magnitude. The obtained polymer had high average molecular weights, but the gel content at high conversion is lower than the value for a conventional emulsion polymerization. The DSC measurements showed that the polymer has a single glass transition temperature at −72.5 ± 1.5 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of symmetrical triblock copolymers containing crystallizable high- trans-1,4-polybutadiene (HTPB) were synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization of 1,3-butadiene (Bd) with isoprene (Ip) (or styrene (St)) using barium salt of di(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether/triisobutylaluminium/dilithium (BaDEGEE/TIBA/DLi) as initiation system. The microstructures of the symmetrical triblock copolymers were determined by IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. The results indicated that polyisoprene- block-high- trans-1,4-polybutadiene- block-polyisoprene (IBI) contained HTPB segments and medium 3,4-polyisoprene (PI) segments, and polystyrene- block-HTPB- block-polystrene (SBS) contained HTPB and atatic-polystyrene (PS) segments. The DSC analysis revealed that SBS tended to phase separate but IBI did not. The cold crystallization was observed in IBI but not in SBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this work, acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene ABS terpolymer was mixed with acrylic fiber, cotton fiber, and waste textile fiber (WTF) (50/50 wt% cotton/acrylic fiber) with 10 and 30 wt% of fiber content in a batch mixer. The composites with 30 wt% of acrylic fiber showed the highest stabilized torque, while the compositions with 30 wt% of cotton were situated at the lowest values in torque rheometry. The fiber addition up to 30 wt% did not have effect on the degradation behavior of ABS matrix. The composites with 30% textile fiber showed a higher degradation step, which is related to fiber degradation. The fiber content resulted in a considerable increase in stiffness at all temperatures as can be observed on the dynamic mechanical thermal properties (DMTA). The reinforcing effect was higher in the region above the glass transition temperature, T g, of the matrix, this is primarily due to the larger difference in mechanical properties between the filler and the matrix as it goes from the glassy to the rubbery state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphologies and dynamic mechanical properties of hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) filled with organophilic layered silicates (OLS) were investigated. The results from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, especially X-ray diffraction on larger structures) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) favor the notion of local filler-filler network-like clusters consisting of exfoliated silicate layers. Especially, processing under high shear forces leads to an anisotropic structure of the network. Due to the orientation of the clusters the aspect ratio (at small deformations) increases. This is in accord with the large reinforcing effect observed for these materials. For example, the stress at 50% elongation from tensile test can be increased at 33% with 5 phr OLS compared to the unfilled reference. We estimate the activation energy of the immobilized polymer layer around the filler structures and show that the values depend on the spatial direction (the values are between 3.4 kJ/mol and 4 kJ/mol). As a result, the DMA–analysis could be used as a supporting method to evaluate orientation effects of the filler structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryDynamically cured poly(vinyl chloride)/nitrile butadiene rubber (PVC/NBR), thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) were melt mixed at 150°C at 50 rev.min. -1 with a Brabender Plasticorder. Curatives concentration was varied from 0 to 1 phr in order to study the effect of dynamic curing on the oil resistance of the plastified formulations. The compounds were characterized in respect to their mass swell, tensile properties, tear strength and hardness. The PVC/NBR formulations have been exposed to air and oil under otherwise identical conditions. The influence of oil and thermo-oxidative ageing on the mechanical properties were characterized at room temperature and 100°C. It was found that at ambient temperature the samples immersed in oil possessed similar properties to those that were exposed to air. Profound enhancement in mechanical properties were observed for both environments at 100°C. The observed scenario has been attributed to the increase in the degree of curing which was accompanied by a steady reduction in % mass swell with increased sulfur loading. The excellent mechanical behavior of the PVC/NBR TPEs even after immersing the samples in oil at 100°C evidenced for the good oil resistance of the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Conductive thermoplastic blends of polystyrene and polyaniline doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, DBSA and polystyrene sulfonic acid were prepared in an internal mixer. We used a block copolymer of styrene and butadiene as compatibilizer. Different formulations were tested according to a statistical response surface method. The electrical conductivity and the microwave radiation absorbing properties of the blends were evaluated. The concentration of the compatibilizer and polyaniline and the blend film thickness affect the attenuation properties of the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polymerization of butadiene(Bd), isoprene(Ip) and styrene(St) has been examined using the six catalyst systems composed of lanthanocene, (C5H9Cp)2NdCl(I), (C5H9Cp)2SmCl(II), (MeCp)2Sm OAr'(III), (Ind)2NdCl(IV), Me2Si(Ind)2NdCl(V) and (Flu)2NdCl(VI), and methylaluminoxane(MAO) respectively. All of them can be used to form the polyisoprene with molecular weights of 1 to 10 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 41 to 47%. (I), (II) and (III) of them can be also used to form the polybutadiene with molecular weights of 10 to 20 thousand and cis-1,4-unit contents of 62 to 78%. In addition, the catalysts from (II) to (V) are still active for St polymerization and (II) of them gives a syndio -rich random polystyrene. It is noteworthy that (II) and (III) are active for homopolymerization of Bd, Ip and St in the same polymerization condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]