Rheology and Self-Recovery of Ionomers

Using a rotational rheometer equipped with a cone-and-plate partitioned geomtery, and an extensional fixture (SER), a rheological characterization of several commercial ionomers has been carried out including the determination of the linear viscoelastic moduli, the damping function and the tensile stress growth coefficient (extensional viscosity). A rheological method has been developed to assess the self-recovery capabilities of ionomers using stress relaxation and recovery experiments. Moreover, peeling tests have been performed to quantify the self-healing capabilities of these ionomers. Their behaviour has been compared with that of conventional polymers such as low-density polyethylene.