The mechanical and morphological properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) toughened with two different grades of metallocene elastomers based on ethylene/1- octene (EOC) were studied. These elastomers were commercial polymers differing in molecular weight, melt flow index and Dow rheology index (DRI). Blends were processed in a Wortex single screw extruder (L/D=32), at 230°C and 50 rpm, using mass fraction weight percent of EOC in the range from 5% to 80%. A synergistic effect on the tensile properties and supertough behavior for blends with EOC concentrations higher than 5% was observed. Cavitation, plastic deformation and fibrillized cavitation were observed in the deformation processes. Materials containing up to 50% of EOC exhibited dispersed morphologies with EOC spherical domains uniformly distributed with particle size in the range from 0.30 to 0.45 µm. The toughening of HDPE with ethylenic elastomers produced materials with good properties and technological compatibilization.
HDPE; metallocene elastomers; toughening; morphology
