Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) from rubber-plastic blends

Thermoplastics are well known for their ease of processing and mechanical properties. Elastomers/rubbers are well-known for their flexibility and elasticity. When these two materials are strategically combined in a suitable proportion, the result is a new class of polymers called thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs.) TPEs are advanced polymeric materials that behave like rubber at ambient temperature but have the processability like thermoplastics. The blends of thermoplastic and rubber result in materials with enhanced mechanical properties. In TPEs from rubber-plastic blends, both the dispersed elastomeric domains and the continuous thermoplastic phases coexist. This chapter systematically reviews TPEs derived from blends of rubber and thermoplastics. The fabrication techniques, compatibilization, characterization, and applications of such blends are carefully reviewed and discussed. The blends are prepared by thermoplastic processing techniques such as melt mixing, mechanical mixing, molding, solution casting, etc. Among TPEs, there is a special category of polymer materials called thermoplastic vulcanizates, which are prepared by a dynamic vulcanization process. This technique and its consequences are also explained in this chapter. The blends of the TPEs have been analyzed by different characterization techniques for their morphology, rheology, viscoelasticity, and aging. The TPEs from rubber/plastic blends are chiefly used in the automotive, footwear, electrical, and packaging fields.