Smart blenders controllably form multi-component polymer melts into a wide variety of fine-scale structural arrangements that can be retained in extruded plastics. The machines operate on the principle of chaotic advection, a recent subfield of fluid mechanics, and have been used to produce cast film and blown film but can also be used to extrude sheet, rod, tubing, and other products. Because and structure of a composite material influences greatly additive diffusion, and matrix dissolution, this processing method provides a means for producing packaging film, medications, and medical implants with tailored release rates of active compounds. In this article, an ability to alter release rates of tocopherol, a natural antioxidant of importance to food packaging, is specifically investigated via on-line specification of a process parameter governing blend morphology in extruded cast films. Blends of low-density polyethylene and polypropylene, and also low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene were used.

The Spherizone process technology, which is based on a multi-zone circulating reactor (MZCR), represents a significant innovation in polypropylene (PP) production. In comparison to traditional multi-step technologies, the MZCR provides a step change in the polymer homogeneity of the final product, obtained by continuously circulating the growing polymeric granules between two interrelated zones where different gas-phase compositions are realized. In addition to traditional Z-N catalysts, metallocene catalysts are also being introduced in PP manufacture: single-site catalysts allow differentiated products with outstanding property combinations. Due to its versatility and sustainability, PP continues to be utilized in a large range of applications. Innovative polymer structures featuring diverse comonomers exhibit improved properties (i.e., stiffness-impact balance, aesthetics, transparency, processability), which reinforce the capability of PP to replace traditional materials such as wood, paper, glass, and metals, as well as standard polymer products.