This article introduces four main methods of physical blending for polymer modification: dry powder blending, melt blending, solution blending, and emulsion blending. Among them, melt blending using extrusion equipment, such as single-screw and twin-screw extruders, is the most widely applied in industry due to its efficiency and ability to achieve fine dispersion. Each method has its own advantages, limitations, and application scenarios in research, testing, and industrial production.

Seaweed–polymer extrusion is an innovative and sustainable method of processing seaweed directly into polymer materials such as pellets, films, filaments, and 3D-molded parts. Unlike conventional fossil-based polymer production, this process minimizes CO₂ emissions while utilizing all natural seaweed components. The resulting seaweed-based polymers, known as Carraphane, offer biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging solutions with potential applications in films, small parts, and recyclable products. Continuous research aims to enhance water resistance and expand their role in the circular economy.

This article explores the diverse applications of TPU in the automotive industry, highlighting its use in interior and exterior parts, structural components, and safety features. It discusses various TPU composites, including glass fiber reinforced TPU (R-TPU), and their advantages such as lightweight design, recyclability, and improved safety. The article also emphasizes the growing trend of replacing traditional metals and PVC with TPU in automotive manufacturing.

This article introduces the use of inorganic flame retardants in TPU modification, including aluminum hydroxide (ATH), magnesium hydroxide, nanoclays, and expandable graphite (EG). It explains their working mechanisms, advantages, and limitations, as well as synergistic effects with additives like mica and phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardants. Proper selection and combination enable TPU to achieve UL94 V-0 rating and high LOI values, making it suitable for fire-safe applications.

Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (GF-TPU) combines TPU’s elasticity with the rigidity of short glass fibers, resulting in improved modulus, tensile strength, tear resistance, heat resistance, and dimensional stability while retaining flexibility. Research shows that fiber type, length, and content significantly influence dispersion, anisotropy, wear performance, and impact resistance. Optimal designs balance stiffness and toughness for specific applications. GF-TPU composites—processible by injection molding, extrusion, and calendering—are already used in automotive and industrial parts, with aramid fiber variants offering alternative reinforcement options.

Masterbatch is a pigment or dye concentrate encapsulated in a carrier resin, offering superior dispersion, stability, color consistency, safety, and cleanliness compared to direct pigment powder coloring in plastics. It ensures precise dosing, protects pigments from moisture and oxidation, and eliminates dust hazards. Made from pigments, carrier resin, dispersing agents, and optional additives, masterbatch comes in various resin types, grades, and applications, with specialized types providing the best compatibility. It can also deliver functional properties such as UV resistance or flame retardancy, maintains heat stability under normal processing, and is produced through methods like ink dispersion, flushing, or kneading using single- or twin-screw extruders.

This article explores the blending modification of TPU and PVC to improve material performance and reduce costs. PVC/TPU blends show excellent oil resistance and enhanced flame retardancy, although higher TPU content can reduce solvent resistance. Adding chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) as a third component further improves tear strength, thermal stability, and processability while helping maintain TPU’s flexibility at low temperatures. The blending ratio significantly affects mechanical and shape memory properties, with ratios like TPU/PVC 90/10 offering optimal performance. Combining TPU, PVC, and copolyester (COP) can also produce melt-processable rubber that combines toughness, cost efficiency, and low-temperature flexibility.

This article explores the blend modification of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to reduce costs and enhance performance. Blending TPU with PVC improves flame retardancy, hardness, processability, and weather resistance while lowering production expenses. Compatibility between TPU and PVC is driven by their similar polarity and molecular interactions, especially hydrogen bonding. Polyester-based TPU shows better compatibility than polyether-based TPU. Optimal TPU/PVC ratios balance tensile strength, tear strength, and hardness, with a 90/10 blend ratio often delivering the best mechanical properties. Overall, TPU/PVC blends combine cost-effectiveness with improved functional performance, making them suitable for applications like synthetic leather and flexible plastic products.

Masterbatch is a concentrated blend of colorants, special effect pigments, and functional additives dispersed in a carrier resin. Supplied mainly as pellets, it’s added during plastic manufacturing to provide consistent color, unique finishes, and improved material properties. Masterbatch is widely used in processes like injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding across industries from packaging to automotive. It offers benefits over liquid colors and powders by ensuring cleaner production, precise dosing, and reduced waste. It can also be tailored for recycled polymers and combined with additives like UV stabilizers for enhanced performance. The production process involves blending, extrusion, cooling, and pelletizing to create ready-to-use masterbatch pellets.

This article explains how blending SBS (styrene–butadiene–styrene) with PE (polyethylene) or PS (polystyrene) improves its properties. Adding PE enhances SBS’s abrasion resistance, hardness, weatherability, and tear strength, while maintaining good tensile strength and elongation. Blending with PS increases hardness and melt flow rate but may reduce tensile strength and elongation due to phase separation at higher PS content. Proper oil extension and using grafted compatibilizers can further improve processing and compatibility. These blending techniques help produce TPE/TPR materials and impact modifiers suitable for footwear, automotive parts, and plastic toughening applications.