Project

Multiscale analysis of polymer blends to predict the thermomechanical response and strength of recycled plastics

Code
01P03723
Duration
01 December 2023 → 30 November 2026
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Fellow
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Polymer composites
    • Short and long fibre reinforced composites
    • Computational materials science
    • Destructive and non-destructive testing of materials
    • Polymers and plastics
Keywords
Polymer blends Multiscale modeling Structure–property relationships
 
Project description

As concluded by SYSTEMIQ, mechanical recycling approach for plastics will dominate for decades. To elucidate the origin of the thermomechanical performance deficiencies of polymer blends, a computational-experimental multiscale approach digging into the blend microstructure is required. This approach can efficiently guide the eco-oriented design of polymer blend and their usability. This project will build upon a recent proposed model to describe with unprecedented accuracy the thermomechanical behavior of both amorphous and semi-crystalline polymers. This development, that enables temperature-, pressure- and rate-dependency in pure polymers, will be extended for polymer blends by incorporating the microstructural details in connection to its mechanical recycling history. To integrate the microstructure revealing the structure-property relationships in polymer blends, a multiscale framework relying on a bottom-up approach is proposed. 3D microstructure reconstruction of polymer blends will be obtained from advanced image analysis methods, transferring to high-fidelity Finite Element simulations. Homogenization techniques will be conducted to disclose the effect of the microscopic details in the observable macroscopic response. The aim is to deliver a scientifically robust model for a wide variety of mechanically recycled polymer blends allowing (i) to increase the after-use pathway and (ii) to increase their usability in mechanically-based applications.