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Bridging the gap between rubbers and plastics: a review on thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers

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Aishwarya Mohite at Institute of Chemical Technology
Aishwarya Mohite
Yash Rajpurkar at Institute of Chemical Technology
Yash Rajpurkar
Aarti More at Institute of Chemical Technology
Aarti More
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Abstract and Figures

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are studied for their unique properties of being easily processes and recycled. This paper focuses on the wide scope of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers (TPO/TPE-O) which is one of the major classes of TPE. The performance of TPO is the cumulative effect of polyolefins and rubbers with the ease of processing due to the presence of thermoplastics. The study focuses on the classification of TPO, their routes of synthesis, composites, applications, and its impact on environment. The mechanical blending of polyolefins and conventional rubber was carried out to manufacture TPO. In further developments, the polyolefin elastomers (POE) were synthesized by copolymerization techniques to overcome the drawback of mechanical blending techniques. Environment-friendly blends of TPO are synthesized using industrial and municipal waste which includes scrap rubber tires, marble waste-filled polypropylene, computer body waste, etc. This technology will help in reducing the issue of landfills. The composites of TPO have been studied using different types of fillers which may be synthetic or bio-based. These include talc, carbon black, carbon nanotubes (CNT), Kenaf fiber, pineapple leaf fiber, etc. TPO have found their use in encapsulation, in electrical insulation, roofing, medical devices, and the automobile industry. Also, impact of using TPOs on environment is discussed here qualitatively.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Polymer Bulletin (2022) 79:1309–1343
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-020-03522-8
1 3
REVIEW
Bridging thegap betweenrubbers andplastics: areview
onthermoplastic polyolefin elastomers
AishwaryaS.Mohite1· YashD.Rajpurkar1· AartiP.More1
Received: 12 September 2020 / Revised: 8 November 2020 / Accepted: 17 December 2020 /
Published online: 15 January 2021
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature 2021
Abstract
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are studied for their unique properties of being eas-
ily processes and recycled. This paper focuses on the wide scope of thermoplas-
tic polyolefin elastomers (TPO/TPE-O) which is one of the major classes of TPE.
The performance of TPO is the cumulative effect of polyolefins and rubbers with
the ease of processing due to the presence of thermoplastics. The study focuses on
the classification of TPO, their routes of synthesis, composites, applications, and its
impact on environment. The mechanical blending of polyolefins and conventional
rubber was carried out to manufacture TPO. In further developments, the polyolefin
elastomers (POE) were synthesized by copolymerization techniques to overcome the
drawback of mechanical blending techniques. Environment-friendly blends of TPO
are synthesized using industrial and municipal waste which includes scrap rubber
tires, marble waste-filled polypropylene, computer body waste, etc. This technology
will help in reducing the issue of landfills. The composites of TPO have been studied
using different types of fillers which may be synthetic or bio-based. These include
talc, carbon black, carbon nanotubes (CNT), Kenaf fiber, pineapple leaf fiber, etc.
TPO have found their use in encapsulation, in electrical insulation, roofing, medical
devices, and the automobile industry. Also, impact of using TPOs on environment is
discussed here qualitatively.
Keywords Thermoplastic elastomers· Thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer·
Medical· Automobile· Rubber
* Aarti P. More
ap.more@ictmumbai.edu.in
1 Department ofPolymer andSurface Engineering, Institute ofChemical Technology, Mumbai,
Maharashtra, India
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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