Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer Composites Filled with Calcite

Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer Composites Filled with Calcite | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer Composites Filled with Calcite Yunus Emre Sucu, Merve Dandan Doganci This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract In this study, the effects of different concentrations of stearic acid-coated calcite (CaCO 3 ) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of thermoplastic polyester elastomers (COPE or TPE-E) were investigated. Moreover, COPEs, which consist of process wastes that are qualified as postindustrial recycled (PIR), were physically recycled. Recycled polymer composites (100%) were obtained by blending the physically recycled COPE polymer with stearic acid-coated calcite at different concentrations. COPE composites (virgin and PIR) containing different concentrations of calcite (5 to 30 wt%) were prepared by melt compounding. It has been determined that mechanical properties such as flexural strength and modulus increase with calcite concentration, while tensile strength decreases at higher concentrations owing to the stronger interfacial relationships between the polymer matrix and stearic acid-coated calcite. The thermal properties of the composite increased with increasing calcite filler concentration. Morphological studies revealed good dispersion of calcite fillers at lower concentrations in the polymer matrix. Calcite Composite COPE Copolyester TPE-E Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Introduction Thermoplastic elastomers (TEPs) are an important class of engineering polymers that combine the exceptional processing advantages of thermoplastics with the physical characteristics of elastomers [1,2]. TPE has a multiphase system composed of a hard thermoplastic phase (hard segments) and a soft elastomeric segment (soft segments), giving it unique rubber-like elasticity and thermoplastics, such as good physico-mechanical properties, excellent price‒performance ratios and processability [3-5]. Due to the combination of these versatile specialized properties, TPE has been extremely popular over the past few decades due to its wide range of industrial applications, such as coatings, medical devices, elastomers, footwears, adhesives, 3D printings, and fibers [4-6]. Unlike thermosets, TPEs are recyclable materials because they involve physical cross-linking between polymer chains that can be thermally reversible. Therefore, these materials do not require vulcanization or curing and can be softened, melted, or processed repeatedly through blow molding, extrusion, or injection molding [7-9]. There are six categories of commercially accessible TPEs according to their morphology and chemical composition: copolyester thermoplastic elastomers (COPEs), thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), styrene block copolymers (SBCs), polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers (COPAs), rubbery-polyolefin blends (TPOs), and dynamically vulcanized polymer blends (TPVs). TPVs and TPOs are mostly polymer blends, whereas the other groups are often made up of block copolymers [6,10-13]. Among TPEs, COPE has been gaining increasing industrial importance and usage in recent years due to its price and excellent properties [14]. COPE is a multiblock copolymer with the general formula (–A–B–) n that includes both copolyether esters and copolyester esters. These materials consist of an alternative structure of both hard elastoplastic materials typically containing several short-chain esters (e.g., tetramethylene terephthalate) and soft elastomeric segments consisting of polyester glycol and aliphatic polyether within the overall polymer chain, and the ratio of these segments determines the properties of the product [14-17]. These materials are resistant to tearing, impact, abrasion, and creep, and with these properties, they have been used to improve the properties of many brittle polymers, such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), and polycarbonate (PC) [18,19]. Although COPEs are often used instead of classical elastomers, their properties do not reach the level of elastomer properties over the entire temperature range, which leads to some limitations. Due to the versatility of these granules, manufacturers can customize their properties to fulfill the requirements of both the electrical and automotive industries [17,20]. One method for enhancing mechanical and electrical properties is by incorporating inorganic mineral fillers into plastic resin. This approach allows for the modification of the granule's mechanical and electrical properties to meet specific industry demands. The use of inorganic mineral fillers in the granule production process enables the development of materials with improved mechanical and electrical properties that can be utilized in various applications. These fillers are nonvolatile substances that do not interact with polymers during processing and consist of insoluble particles. In general, the distribution, shape, size, and degree of interfacial adhesion of filler particles in the polymer matrix when added to the polymer strongly affect the mechanical properties and other physical properties of particle-filled polymer composites [14,21]. Fillers can lower material costs and enhance the mechanical characteristics of polymers. Smaller fillers exhibit larger surface areas and superior tensile characteristics. This strengthens the bond between the polymer matrix and the filler [22,23]. Currently, nanosized and microsized particle fillers, including calcite, clay, kaolin, talc, alumina trihydrate, fly ash, mica, carbon nanotubes, silica, and glass or carbon fibers, are commonly added to COPE to improve its electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties [24-30]. Calcite, a widely studied and abundant mineral, is one such filler [31,32]. Its use in polymer matrices offers numerous advantages, such as adjusting viscosity, enhancing mechanical properties, and preventing the absorption of excess oil. Moreover, using calcite prevents the use of polymers. Most calcites used in plastics are coated with fatty acids to obtain hydrophobic fillers with improved rheological and mechanical properties. The effect of fillers on thermoplastic elastomers and engineering thermoplastics has been extensively studied recently [33-40]. In this study, we examined the impact of the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of COPE-containing stearic acid-coated calcite particles. Composites of COPE containing different concentrations of calcite particles were produced. Furthermore, R-COPEs obtained from the physical recycling of factory production waste (PIR) were also blended with calcite, resulting in enhanced final polymer composites at a decreased cost without any decrease in mechanical properties. Experimental Materials Thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (COPE, Hytrel® 4056, melt flow index: 5.6–6.0 g/10 min according to ISO 1133) was purchased from DUPONT. Recycled thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (R-COPE) was obtained from Sertplas Oto Yan. San. (Turkey). COPE waste generated after production was crushed in recycling machines (postindustrial recycling, PIR) and reused as a recycled polymer for this study. The calcite used as a filler in the formation of polymer composites was obtained from Karakaya Polymer Compound (Turkey). The calcite has an average particle size of 3 microns and is coated with stearic acid. Preparation of Blends The polyester thermoplastic elastomer as the matrix and stearic acid-coated calcite as the filler were dried in an air-circulating desiccant oven at 90 °C for 6 hours, and both were dry mixed into a uniform physical distribution of polymer and filler. The following filler mixture (5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 wt%) was mixed and extruded in a corotating twin extruder in a twin-screw microcompounder (15 ml Micro compounder, DSM Xplore, The Netherlands) at a screw speed of 100 rpm. The barrel temperature of the micro compounder was set to 190 °C. The mixing time was held constant at 2 min. At the end of the mixing period, the extrudate was transferred to the injection molding device in molten form. The molten compound was subsequently injection molded using a DSM Xplore 12-ml injection molding machine to obtain ISO 527-2/5A tensile and ISO 180 Izod bars. The injection and holding pressures were set to 10 bars. The melting temperature and molding temperature were 190 °C and 20 °C, respectively. Examples are abbreviated according to the type and loading level of the COPE. For example, "COPE/Calcite20" represents the composition containing 20%wt of calcite. Characterization of the Blends Vertical Force Measurements The micro compounder cylinder rests on a lever that rotates about a fixed axis and is balanced at the other end by a load cell. The load cell has a range of 10 kN and measures the vertical force (VF) applied by the barrel to counteract the downward thrust applied by the screw as the polymer melt is pumped through the recirculation channel or die. If the screw speed and barrel temperature are fixed for a particular polymer, VF can be used as an expression of the melt viscosity of the polymer. In this study, VF measurements were performed to compare the melt viscosities of processed materials as a function of composition. VF data were recorded every minute after feeding was complete. Mechanical Testing Tensile tests were performed with a DEVOTRANS universal testing machine. Tests were performed with dog bone test specimens using 2 kN load cells and 50 mm/min tensile velocity parameters according to the ISO 527 5A standard. Notched Izod impact tests of standard samples according to ISO 180/A standard Type 1A. The impact energies of the COPE/calcite and R-COPE/calcite samples were determined by using a 5.5 kJ hammer with a Zwick Roell HIT5.5P impact tester. The size of the test sample was 80x10x4 mm. A 5.5 kJ energy hammer was used, and the striking velocity was 3.46 m/sec. For Izod impact test specimens, standard 2 mm V notches were created using a manual notching machine for impact samples. The unit of expression is J/m 2 . The densities of the prepared composites were determined according to ISO 1183 using a Mettler Toledo Easy D30 digital density meter. Shore tests of the produced composites were performed with a DEVOTRANS Shore meter, and the results were recorded. All of the measurements were the average of three replicates. Morphological Properties The microstructure of the composites was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on a Phillips™ XL-30S FEG model. Observations were made on the impact fracture surfaces of the samples. The samples were gold coated before observation to prevent arching. The digitized images were recorded. Thermal analysis Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to observe the melting and cold crystallization behavior of the composites upon heating. The analyses were performed at a scan rate of 10 °C/min from 25 °C to 190 °C. DSC measurements were performed using a TA DSC Q20 analyzer (TA Instruments, U.S.). The weight of the sample was between 4 and 6 mg in a standard aluminum pan. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed using a thermogravimetric analyzer (Mettler Toledo TA Q50) to determine the thermal stability of the polymer composites, the amount of ash, and the weight loss of the polymer composites as a function of temperature. The analyses were carried out by heating the samples from 25 °C to 600 °C under nitrogen gas at a heating rate of 10 °C/min. Results and Discussion Vertical Force (VF) Measurements VF during compounding was measured to determine the melt-flow properties of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite at different concentrations. In all the composites, the barrel temperature and screw rotation speed were held constant. In this way, the vertical force values of the polymer melt against time at constant temperature and screw rotation speed were recorded in Newton (N) units every 30 seconds. The change in viscosity of the polymer and polymer composites over time with respect to temperature and screw revolution in the extruder was correlated with the VF comparison. The variations in the vertical forces produced by COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite are shown in Fig. 1. The lowest melt viscosity VF data were obtained for virgin and recycled COPE, which were compared with the torque values required for the screw to rotate at the adjusted rpm. An increase in the melt viscosity was observed after the COPE polymer was blended with calcite at different rates [23]. Caner et al. observed a similar trend in VF values following the addition of different compatibilizers to poly (lactic acid)/(PCL) 4 -POSS-(PLA) 4 blends [23,41,42]. As the calcite concentration increased, an increase in the VF was observed. The highest viscosity values were observed for the COPE/Calcite30 and R-COPE/Calcite30 composites, which had the highest amount of calcite. The melt viscosity decreased with increasing temperature and screw length over time. VF decreased over time as the amount of calcite decreased in all the polymer composites [41]. This shows that the melt viscosity decreases with time and that the fluidity of the polymer composites increases with time. Mechanical Properties The mechanical results of the COPE (virgin) and R-COPE (recycled) composites containing calcite are shown in Figs. 2-6. For comparison, the tensile test results for the virgin COPE and R-COPE composites are shown in Fig. 2. When 30%wt. calcite was added to the COPE matrix, the tensile strength decreased from 36.16 MPa to 32.66 MPa. The lowest tensile strength (MPa) was observed for the COPE mixture containing 30 wt%. calcite. The reason for this difference is that as the tensile strength increases until a certain calcite reinforcement is reached, the material approaches a ductile structure to a brittle structure at a concentration of 20 wt%. calcite reinforcement, and severe decreases were detected in the breaking strength values. Along with the homogeneous distribution in the matrix, the highest tensile strength was determined for the COPE/Calcite20 composite. A comparison of the tensile strengths revealed that for calcite reinforcement up to 20%, the tensile strength increased compared to that of the unfilled products and decreased for the 30% filled products. Additionally, no significant difference was detected when the tensile strength values of the COPE and R-COPE composites were compared. The elongation at break (%) of the virgin COPE polymer was determined to be 459.72% in the tensile tests, as shown in Fig. 3. The high elongation at break indicates that the polymer is flexible, soft, and tough. The highest elongation at break (%) value in the COPE/calcite composites was 530.0% for the COPE/Calcite10 composite, and the % elongation values of all the polymer composites with up to 20% calcite reinforcement yielded higher % elongation results than did those of the pure state. Elongation decreased with increasing calcite concentration. In all the composite mixtures, the elongation at break values of the recycled products were greater than those of the virgin composite products. The yield strength is the value at which the material passes from the elastic strain region to the plastic strain region. When the load applied below the yield limit value is removed, the polymer returns to its former physical state. When a load above this value is applied, the polymer no longer begins to flow and passes into the plastic deformation zone, as shown in Fig. 4. The values increased with increasing calcite concentration at the flow boundaries. This shows that the brittleness of the materials increased as the amount of calcite increased. A transition from a tougher flexible material to a more rigid material occurs. The yield limit of the COPE polymer was determined to be 7.44 MPa, and this value increased to 10.07 for the COPE/Calcite30 polymer composite. According to the impact strength results of the COPE/calcite composites, the impact strength of virgin COPE was the lowest, as shown in Fig. 5. The impact strength increased for all the polymer blends with the addition of calcite. An increase of 44% was detected in the COPE/Calcite30 composite, and an increase of 28.6% was detected in the R-COPE/Calcite30 polymer. To determine their hardness, materials such as polymers, elastomers, and rubbers were tested using a durometer. The penetration of the tip across the sample was measured. Fig. 6 shows the changes in the Shore-D hardness of the COPE and R-COPE composites. The lower the deformation is, the greater the hardness of the material. An increase in the Shore-D values of the composite materials was observed with increasing filler concentration. The highest shore value was observed for products with 30 wt% calcite. 3.3. Physical Properties of the COPE Composites The density of the pure COPE polymer was recorded as 1.15 g/cm 3 according to the results of the density measurements in Fig. 7. A slight linear increase was observed in all the composites with the addition of calcite. It is a COPE/Calcite30 polymer composite containing 30% calcite, with a maximum density of 1.37 g/cm 3 , which was 19.13% greater than that of virgin and recycled COPE polymers. 3.4. Morphological properties of the COPE Composites Analysis of the phase morphology of the composite system supplies direct information on the mechanical properties of the obtained composites. SEM and EDX were used to investigate the morphological properties of the composites. SEM images of COPE, R-COPE, and selected composites (with 30% calcite) at different magnifications are shown in Fig. 8 (1000x and 10 000x). When the SEM images of COPE and R-COPE were examined, the folds observed on the COPE and R-COPE surfaces were found to indicate high plastic deformation before breaking. COPE and R-COPE exhibited ductile fracture because of their relatively low glass transition temperatures and high toughness. No cracks were observed in the SEM images due to the ductile fracture feature. Relative increases in the impact strength of COPE were observed when calcite was added, and it was confirmed that the fracture surfaces were more flexible and that ductile rupture was the dominant morphology. Similarly, the SEM images of the COPE and R-COPE composite samples revealed that calcite was homogeneously distributed in the COPE and R-COPE matrices at low feed rates. As the additive content increased, the formation of calcite regions, such as agglomerations, was not observed, but the dispersion effect decreased with increasing amount of calcite additive. With a good distribution effect, agglomeration was prevented, but due to the weak dispersion effect, the calcite contribution could not show an equal distribution throughout the matrix. The EDX spectrum and the atomic composition of the COPE, COPE/Calcite30, and R-COPE/Calcite30 composites are given in Fig. 9. No traces of Ca atoms were observed in the COPE sample, as shown in Fig. 9 (a). However, the EDX maps of the COPE/Calcite30 (Fig. 9(b)) and R-COPE/Calcite30 (Fig. 9(c)) composites indicate the presence of Ca atoms as yellow dots dispersed in the matrix. The presence of Ca atoms is evidence of the presence of calcite filler used in the study of polymer matrices. By superimposing the red, green, and yellow dots (C, O, Ca), the ratios of these atoms to each other, their positions, and location mapping were revealed. The dispersion of Ca atoms was homogenous, indicating homogenous dispersion of calcite in the composite matrix. Thermal analysis of the polymer composites The cold crystallization temperature (T c ) and melting temperature (T m ) of the COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite, which were prepared at different concentrations, were determined via DSC. The related data, which refer to the second heating step, are summarized in Table 1. DSC thermograms of the COPE, R-COPE, and their composites are shown in Fig. 10. The COPE polymer and R-COPE polymer had melting temperatures of approximately 149.9 °C and 149.53 °C, respectively. It was observed that there was a general increase in the Tc and Tm temperatures of the COPE and R-COPE polymers depending on the amount of calcite filler added, indicating that the addition of calcite filler improved the thermal stability of the composites. This can be attributed to the slight increase in T c , which activates the calcite filler as a nucleating agent in the matrix and increases the T c temperature. Compared with those of the COPE and R-COPE composites, the higher the crystallization temperature was, the greater the effect of the nucleating agent on the calcite in the recycled matrix. Furthermore, virgin COPE exhibited a broad exothermic peak before the main melting peak. This indicated that recrystallization occurred in the hard-crystalline region, which was sufficiently mobile to crystallize during heat screening. In the case of composites, the limited mobility of polymer chains by calcite causes no recrystallization during the heating process [24]. Table 1 DSC results of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite. Entry T c ( o C) a T m ( o C) b ΔH c (J/g) c ΔH m (J/g) d COPE 110.1 149.9 -12.3 11.6 COPE/Calcite5 110.7 150.6 -11.0 12.0 COPE/Calcite10 111.9 150.8 -10.9 10.7 COPE/Calcite15 111.2 151.6 -13.2 12.8 COPE/Calcite20 112.3 151.7 -9.3 7.6 COPE/Calcite30 114.4 152.6 -8.4 8.4 R-COPE 123.3 149.5 -13.3 14.9 R-COPE/Calcite5 127.4 151.6 -9.2 6.8 R-COPE/Calcite10 128.4 151.4 -8.5 12.3 R-COPE/Calcite15 125.8 150.8 -8.7 5.9 R-COPE/Calcite20 130.9 152.4 -6.9 6.1 R-COPE/Calcite30 132.1 154.3 -5.5 3.7 a T c , b T m , c ΔH c , and d ΔH m denote the cold crystallization, the melting point temperature, enthalpy of crystallization and melting of the polymer and composites in the second heating run of the DSC experiments in turn. TGA thermograms of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites containing calcite are given in Table 2 and Fig. 11. The effect of the addition of calcite at different concentrations on the thermal stability of the polymer matrix was evaluated according to the data obtained by TGA. As seen from the TGA curves, the use of calcite in all the composites did not significantly change the thermal stability of the polymer composites. The T onset , T 5 , and T 50 temperatures increased with increasing calcite amount. When we compared COPE and R-COPE matrix composites, an increase of 1.1 °C was detected in the T onset of the R-COPE polymer compared to that of the COPE polymer. At the T 50 temperature, where 50% mass loss was observed for the R-COPE/Calcite30 and COPE/Calcite30 polymer composites and where the maximum amount of calcite was fed, an increase of 3.35 °C was detected for the R-COPE polymer matrix. The char yield was affected by the amount of calcite. The char yield increases significantly with increasing amount of calcite in the polymer matrix. Table 2 TGA results of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite. Entry T onset ( o C) a T 5% ( o C) b T 50% ( o C) b T max ( o C) c Char Yield (%) d COPE 377.2 367.7 402.0 404.3 6.6 COPE/Calcite10 379.4 368.9 402.5 404.2 12.8 COPE/Calcite20 379.8 369.8 406.2 404.2 22.7 COPE/Calcite30 382.0 371.9 412.1 404.1 32.3 R-COPE 378.3 368.9 401.2 404.1 6.6 R-COPE/Calcite10 380.7 369.8 402.5 404.2 12.8 R-COPE/Calcite20 380.7 371.4 407.9 404.3 23.7 R-COPE/Calcite30 382.0 371.9 415.5 404.3 33.7 a T onset represents the onset decomposition temperature of the films. b T 5% and T 50% represents the temperatures of weight loses at 5% and 50% in turn. c T max are the temperature that corresponds to the maximum rate of weight loss. d The percentage weight remaining at 600 °C. Conclusions In our study, COPE composites with stearic acid-coated calcite, an inorganic filling material, were successfully prepared to improve the mechanical and thermal properties that can be utilized in industry. To compare with those of COPE, composites were produced with recycled COPE (R-COPE), and calcite was prepared at different concentrations for both polymers. A significant increase in the tensile strength and modulus of the polymer composites was obtained with increasing calcite concentration. An increase in the impact resistance was observed for all the composites with increasing calcite concentration. According to the impact strength results, an increase of 44% was detected in the COPE/Calcite30 composite compared to the unfilled COPE polymer. Compared with the unfilled product, the elongation at break % yielded greater elongation, resulting in up to 20% calcite reinforcement. This difference, unlike in other studies, was observed to increase the % values of impact strength and elongation at break due to the stronger interfacial relationships between stearic acid-coated calcite and the polymer matrix. Increasing the amount of coated calcite improved the thermal properties of the composites due to the small and uniform crystallite size distribution. In terms of thermal properties, it has been observed that with the addition of calcite to polymer matrices, the T c , T m , T onset , T 5 , and T 50 temperatures significantly increase. Due to the inorganic structure of calcite, the char yield increased significantly as the amount of calcite in the polymer matrix increased. Morphological studies have shown that the calcite was homogenously dispersed in the polymer matrix. However, with increasing calcite concentration, it became difficult to distribute calcite homogeneously in the matrix. It was determined that the dispersion effect was weak/cite did not show an equal distribution everywhere; however, it was observed that the distribution effect was strong because agglomerations were not observed. According to the EDX analysis results, the presence of calcite atoms in the structure of the calcite-added polymer composites was proven. Declarations Acknowledgment The authors received specific funding for this work from Kocaeli University BAP (Project No. FYL-2022-2816). Author Contributions Yunus Emre Sucu: Visualization, Methodology, Writing - original draft preparation, Formal analysis. Merve Dandan Doganci: Supervision, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Writing-review and editing, Methodology. All the authors reviewed the manuscript. Data availability the data are available upon request to the authors. References 1. Walker B (1979) Handbook of Thermoplastic Elastomer. Litton Education, New York. 2. 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Donate-Robles J, Martín-Martínez JM (2011) Addition of precipitated calcium carbonate filler to thermoplastic polyurethane adhesives. Int J Adhes Adhes 31(8):795-804. 37. Betingytė V, Žukienė, K., Jankauskaitė, V., Milašienė, D., Mickus, K. V., & Gulbinienė, A. (2012) Influence of calcium carbonate fillers on the properties of recycled poly(e-caprolactone) based thermoplastic polyurethane. Mater Sci Eng C 18(3):243-249. 38. Basilia BA, Panganiban, M. E. G., Collado, A. A. V., Pesigan, M. O. D., & de Yro, P. A. (2007) Study on the functionality of nanoprecipitated calcium carbonate as filler in thermoplastics. J Solid Mech Mater Eng 1(4):564-570. 39. Osman MA, Atallah, A., & Suter, U. W. (2004) Influence of excessive filler coating on the tensile properties of LDPE–calcium carbonate composites. Polymer 45(4):1177-1183. 40. Yang K, Yang, Q., Li, G., Sun, Y., & Feng, D. (2006) Mechanical properties and morphologies of polypropylene with different sizes of calcium carbonate particles. Polym. Compos. 27(4): 443-450. 41. Doganci MD, Caner D, Doganci E, Ozkoc G (2021) Effects of hetero‐armed star‐shaped PCL‐PLA polymers with POSS core on thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of PLA. J Appl Polym Sci 138(29):50712. 42. Doganci MD, Aynali F, Doganci E, Ozkoc G (2019) Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of poly (lactic acid) by using star-shaped poly (ε-caprolactone) with POSS core. Eur Polym J 121:109316. Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4007030","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":278093098,"identity":"832ad1e9-4cca-4043-b4a3-842cf759b0d2","order_by":0,"name":"Yunus Emre Sucu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Kocaeli University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yunus","middleName":"Emre","lastName":"Sucu","suffix":""},{"id":278093099,"identity":"6eb7563e-cc3b-4c23-94d1-e8e77414cdca","order_by":1,"name":"Merve Dandan Doganci","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABG0lEQVRIie3RMUvDQBTA8XccOAlZr0PTTyCkHGSpuPo1cgSuy+GcwSEudlGzVhD9CnHpfBJIlrhn01DIVDBuGQR9qZ3kWjsK3p/AwZEfebwA2Gx/N/p9BFHQH0TjQeL9SLkmsCF0D0IuNwR2kKPZdcNamLij0+entr6XrjPLtH6F42Gqnbw1EL8s/MEcpnxcnoVMLBRnpQxwMMlTTencRCpJ+SFk4jFWPohFJFJQHpJM9MQ0mP/SUP7Rk2SF5A6J89Yi+dxOqgOyBCQPrP9KrETKVL8xvZ2UktRX3pR7bMVZkEvOqgYH80J+m1FuJEUOuotwY4kav3fnoeskYV130cnwprhYGre8zsNH/7zZ/SexUfzLCzabzfZ/+wIQImgsMkyFEgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Kocaeli University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Merve","middleName":"Dandan","lastName":"Doganci","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-03-02 21:49:47","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":52713485,"identity":"f5ddf4e2-b58b-48f2-9a4b-34bfcb1b5e98","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:32:44","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":109448,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVertical force measurements (VF) of (a) COPE and COPE/Calcite composites and (b)R-COPE and R-COPE/Calcite composites.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/2b29001dc592da45ebfbfc73.png"},{"id":52713231,"identity":"f95d8e95-a8c2-43dc-aec3-c2c11c05ada7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:44","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":32518,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTensile strength of polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/52399461658935decbbbe827.png"},{"id":52713486,"identity":"1013cb6c-eda0-4f30-9b9c-42e3613c316b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:32:44","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":30226,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eElongation at break of polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/c54f33ddbf53b0a765c686e4.png"},{"id":52713233,"identity":"32501857-9cda-4257-9948-02c290df4061","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:44","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":28013,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eYield strength of the polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/df0e79fd70be4e4ab2c01081.png"},{"id":52713746,"identity":"2692dbd7-d971-4893-9e81-790f4916a0ac","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:40:45","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":31666,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eImpact strengths of the polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/24036ccb9b97f8175eb473fb.png"},{"id":52713239,"identity":"e613c81e-667e-4762-b157-06f15d73f38c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:45","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":28597,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eHardness values of the polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/bd055f3087f1262babd87552.png"},{"id":52713240,"identity":"b1ab03d5-b513-484c-9f52-04f30d3f586d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:45","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":30552,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDensity of the polymer composites\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/aee8a19a340224f77ca36f59.png"},{"id":52713487,"identity":"da5a7a0f-c5c3-4afd-bfab-dfaa22345cf2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:32:45","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":190357,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSEM images of polymer composites at 1000x and 10.000x magnification.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/8f25b578edc829ada179bc16.png"},{"id":52713242,"identity":"71cc34a0-3121-40bc-9775-b611ecdc8fc5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:45","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":591125,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEDX images of a) COPE, b) COPE/Calcite30, and c) R-COPE/Calcite30.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/0832d1236d02593c60d86347.png"},{"id":52713235,"identity":"0b65e541-6c26-4404-b1be-f2d030c297d4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:45","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":115840,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDSC thermograms of (a) COPE, (b) R-COPE, and (a and b) their composites containing calcite.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/d3f13b73b2de7e06c7003355.png"},{"id":52713238,"identity":"3ee14a0f-07e6-4b85-b909-0dea03786a98","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:24:45","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":555860,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTGA thermograms of (a) COPE, (b) R-COPE, and (a and b) their composites containing calcite.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"11.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/183b2176841afa3bb0d28776.png"},{"id":52713967,"identity":"d9af4890-8b86-4177-bc38-a5d6024ac3f8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-03-14 20:48:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1732754,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4007030/v2/6494b8e0-6b79-4e74-b44d-567287b3a6ba.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer Composites Filled with Calcite\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThermoplastic elastomers (TEPs) are\u0026nbsp;an important class of engineering polymers that combine the exceptional processing advantages of thermoplastics with the physical characteristics of elastomers [1,2]. TPE has a multiphase system\u0026nbsp;composed\u0026nbsp;of a hard thermoplastic phase (hard segments) and a soft elastomeric segment (soft segments), giving\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;unique rubber-like elasticity and thermoplastics,\u0026nbsp;such as good physico-mechanical properties, excellent\u0026nbsp;price‒performance ratios\u0026nbsp;and processability [3-5]. Due to the combination of these versatile specialized properties, TPE has been extremely popular\u0026nbsp;over the past few decades\u0026nbsp;due to\u0026nbsp;its\u0026nbsp;wide range of industrial applications, such as coatings, medical devices, elastomers, footwears, adhesives, 3D printings, and fibers [4-6]. Unlike thermosets, TPEs are recyclable materials because they involve physical cross-linking between polymer chains that can be thermally reversible.\u0026nbsp;Therefore, these materials\u0026nbsp;do not require vulcanization or curing and can be softened, melted,\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;processed repeatedly through blow molding, extrusion,\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;injection molding [7-9]. There are six categories of commercially accessible TPEs according to their morphology and chemical composition: copolyester thermoplastic elastomers (COPEs), thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), styrene block copolymers (SBCs), polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers (COPAs), rubbery-polyolefin blends (TPOs), and dynamically vulcanized polymer blends (TPVs). TPVs and TPOs are mostly polymer blends, whereas the other groups are often made up of block copolymers [6,10-13].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong TPEs, COPE has been gaining increasing industrial importance and usage in recent years due to its price and excellent properties [14]. COPE is a\u0026nbsp;multiblock\u0026nbsp;copolymer with\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;general\u0026nbsp;formula\u0026nbsp;(\u0026ndash;A\u0026ndash;B\u0026ndash;)\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;n\u003c/sub\u003e that includes\u0026nbsp;both copolyether\u0026nbsp;esters and copolyester\u0026nbsp;esters. These materials consist of an alternative structure of both hard elastoplastic\u0026nbsp;materials\u0026nbsp;typically containing several short-chain esters (e.g.,\u0026nbsp;tetramethylene terephthalate) and soft elastomeric segments consisting of polyester glycol and aliphatic polyether within the overall polymer chain, and the ratio of these segments determines the properties of the product [14-17]. These materials are resistant to tearing, impact, abrasion, and creep, and with these properties, they have been used to improve the properties of many brittle polymers,\u0026nbsp;such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), and polycarbonate (PC) [18,19].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough COPEs are often used instead of classical elastomers, their properties do not reach the level of elastomer properties over the entire temperature range, which leads to some limitations. Due to the versatility of\u0026nbsp;these granules, manufacturers can customize\u0026nbsp;their\u0026nbsp;properties to fulfill the requirements of both the electrical and automotive industries [17,20]. One method for enhancing mechanical and electrical properties is by incorporating inorganic mineral fillers into plastic resin. This approach allows for the modification of the granule\u0026apos;s mechanical and electrical properties to meet specific industry demands. The use of inorganic mineral fillers in the\u0026nbsp;granule\u0026nbsp;production process enables the development of materials with improved mechanical and electrical properties that can be utilized in various applications. These fillers are\u0026nbsp;nonvolatile\u0026nbsp;substances that do not interact with polymers during processing and consist of insoluble\u0026nbsp;particles. In general, the distribution, shape, size, and degree of interfacial adhesion of filler particles in the polymer matrix when added to the polymer\u0026nbsp;strongly\u0026nbsp;affect the mechanical properties and other physical properties of particle-filled polymer composites [14,21]. Fillers can lower material costs and enhance the mechanical characteristics of\u0026nbsp;polymers. Smaller fillers exhibit larger\u0026nbsp;surface areas and superior tensile characteristics. This strengthens the bond between the polymer matrix and the filler [22,23].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCurrently, nanosized and microsized\u0026nbsp;particle fillers, including calcite, clay, kaolin, talc, alumina trihydrate, fly ash, mica, carbon nanotubes, silica, and glass or carbon fibers, are commonly added to COPE to improve its electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties [24-30]. Calcite, a widely studied and abundant mineral, is one such filler [31,32]. Its use in polymer matrices offers numerous advantages, such as adjusting viscosity, enhancing mechanical properties, and\u0026nbsp;preventing the absorption of\u0026nbsp;excess oil. Moreover, using calcite\u0026nbsp;prevents\u0026nbsp;the use of polymers. Most calcites used in plastics are coated with fatty acids to obtain hydrophobic fillers with improved rheological and mechanical properties. The effect of fillers on thermoplastic elastomers and engineering thermoplastics has been extensively studied recently [33-40].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, we examined the impact of the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of COPE-containing stearic acid-coated calcite particles. Composites of COPE containing different concentrations of calcite particles were produced. Furthermore, R-COPEs obtained from the physical recycling of factory production waste (PIR) were also blended with calcite, resulting in enhanced final polymer composites at a decreased cost without any decrease in mechanical properties.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Experimental","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThermoplastic copolyester elastomer (COPE, Hytrel\u0026reg; 4056, melt flow index: 5.6\u0026ndash;6.0 g/10 min according to ISO 1133) was purchased from DUPONT. Recycled thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (R-COPE) was\u0026nbsp;obtained from\u0026nbsp;Sertplas Oto Yan. San. (Turkey). COPE waste generated after production was crushed in recycling machines (postindustrial recycling, PIR) and\u0026nbsp;reused\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;recycled polymer for this study. The calcite\u0026nbsp;used\u0026nbsp;as a filler in the formation of polymer composites was obtained from Karakaya Polymer Compound (Turkey). The calcite has an average particle size of 3 microns and is coated with stearic acid.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePreparation of Blends\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe polyester thermoplastic elastomer as\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;matrix and stearic acid-coated calcite as\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;filler were dried in an air-circulating desiccant oven at 90 \u0026deg;C for 6 hours,\u0026nbsp;and both were dry mixed into a uniform physical distribution of polymer and filler. The following filler\u0026nbsp;mixture\u0026nbsp;(5, 10, 15, 20, and 30\u0026nbsp;wt%) was mixed and extruded in a corotating twin extruder in a twin-screw microcompounder (15\u0026nbsp;ml Micro compounder, DSM Xplore, The Netherlands) at a screw speed of 100 rpm. The barrel temperature of the micro compounder was set to 190 \u0026deg;C. The mixing time was\u0026nbsp;held\u0026nbsp;constant at 2 min. At the end of the mixing period, the extrudate was transferred to the injection molding device in molten form. The molten compound was subsequently injection molded using a DSM Xplore 12-ml injection molding machine to obtain ISO 527-2/5A tensile and ISO 180 Izod bars. The injection and holding pressures were set to 10 bars.\u0026nbsp;The melting\u0026nbsp;temperature and\u0026nbsp;molding\u0026nbsp;temperature were 190 \u0026deg;C and 20 \u0026deg;C, respectively. Examples are abbreviated according to the type and loading level of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;COPE. For example, \u0026quot;COPE/Calcite20\u0026quot; represents the composition containing\u0026nbsp;20%wt\u0026nbsp;of calcite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharacterization of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlends\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVertical Force Measurements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe micro compounder cylinder rests on a lever that rotates about a fixed axis and is balanced at the other end by a load cell. The load cell has a range of 10 kN and measures the vertical force (VF) applied by the barrel to counteract the downward thrust applied by the screw as the polymer melt is pumped through the recirculation channel or die. If the screw speed and barrel temperature are fixed for a particular polymer, VF can be used as an expression of the melt viscosity of the polymer. In this study, VF measurements were performed to compare\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;melt viscosities of processed materials as a function of composition. VF data\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;recorded every minute after feeding\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;complete.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMechanical Testing\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTensile tests were\u0026nbsp;performed\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;DEVOTRANS universal testing machine. Tests were performed with dog bone test specimens using 2 kN load cells and 50 mm/min tensile velocity parameters according to\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;ISO 527 5A standard. Notched Izod impact tests of standard samples according to ISO 180/A standard Type 1A.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;impact\u0026nbsp;energies of the COPE/calcite\u0026nbsp;and R-COPE/calcite\u0026nbsp;samples\u0026nbsp;were determined\u0026nbsp;by using a 5.5 kJ hammer with\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;Zwick Roell HIT5.5P impact tester. The size of the test sample\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;80x10x4 mm. A 5.5 kJ energy hammer was used, and the striking velocity was 3.46 m/sec. For Izod impact test specimens, standard 2 mm V notches were created using a manual notching machine\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;impact samples. The unit of expression is J/m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e. The densities of the prepared composites were determined according to ISO 1183 using\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;Mettler Toledo Easy D30 digital density meter. Shore tests of the produced composites were\u0026nbsp;performed\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;DEVOTRANS Shore meter,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;the results were\u0026nbsp;recorded. All of the measurements were the average of three\u0026nbsp;replicates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMorphological Properties\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe microstructure of the composites was investigated by\u0026nbsp;scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on\u0026nbsp;a Phillips\u0026trade; XL-30S FEG model. Observations were made on\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;impact fracture surfaces of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;samples. The samples were gold coated before\u0026nbsp;observation\u0026nbsp;to prevent arching. The digitized images were recorded.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThermal\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eanalysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to observe the melting and cold crystallization behavior of the composites upon heating. The analyses were performed at a scan rate of 10 \u0026deg;C/min from 25 \u0026deg;C to 190 \u0026deg;C. DSC measurements were performed using a TA DSC Q20 analyzer (TA Instruments, U.S.). The weight of the sample was between 4 and 6 mg in a standard aluminum pan. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed using a thermogravimetric analyzer (Mettler Toledo TA Q50) to determine the thermal stability of the polymer composites, the amount of ash, and the weight loss of the polymer composites as a function of temperature. The analyses were carried out by heating the samples from 25 \u0026deg;C to 600 \u0026deg;C under nitrogen gas at a heating rate of 10 \u0026deg;C/min.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVertical Force (VF) Measurements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVF during compounding was measured to determine the melt-flow properties of COPE, R-COPE, and their\u0026nbsp;composites\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;calcite\u0026nbsp;at different concentrations. In all\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;composites, the barrel\u0026nbsp;temperature\u0026nbsp;and screw rotation speed were\u0026nbsp;held\u0026nbsp;constant. In this way, the vertical force values of the polymer melt against time at constant temperature and screw rotation speed were recorded in Newton (N) units every 30 seconds. The\u0026nbsp;change in viscosity of the\u0026nbsp;polymer and polymer composites over time with\u0026nbsp;respect to\u0026nbsp;temperature and screw revolution in the extruder\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;correlated with the VF comparison. The\u0026nbsp;variations in the\u0026nbsp;vertical\u0026nbsp;forces produced by\u0026nbsp;COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite\u0026nbsp;are shown\u0026nbsp;in Fig. 1.\u0026nbsp;The lowest melt viscosity VF data were obtained for virgin and recycled COPE, which\u0026nbsp;were compared with the torque values required for the screw to rotate at the adjusted rpm. An increase in the melt viscosity was observed after the COPE polymer was blended with calcite at different rates [23]. Caner et al. observed a similar trend in VF values\u0026nbsp;following the\u0026nbsp;addition of different compatibilizers to poly (lactic acid)/(PCL)\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e-POSS-(PLA)\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e blends [23,41,42]. As the calcite concentration increased, an increase in the VF was observed. The highest viscosity values were observed for the COPE/Calcite30 and R-COPE/Calcite30 composites, which had the highest amount of calcite. The melt viscosity decreased with increasing temperature and screw length over time. VF decreased over time as the amount of calcite decreased in all the polymer composites [41]. This shows that the melt viscosity decreases with time and that the fluidity of the polymer composites increases with time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMechanical Properties\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mechanical results of the COPE (virgin) and R-COPE (recycled) composites containing calcite are shown in Figs. 2-6. For comparison, the tensile test results for the virgin COPE and R-COPE composites are shown in Fig. 2. When 30%wt. calcite was added to the COPE matrix, the tensile strength decreased from 36.16 MPa to 32.66 MPa. The lowest tensile strength (MPa) was observed for the COPE mixture containing 30 wt%. calcite. The reason for this difference is that as the tensile strength increases until a certain calcite reinforcement is reached, the material approaches a ductile structure to a brittle structure at a concentration of 20 wt%. calcite reinforcement, and severe decreases were detected in the breaking strength values. Along with the homogeneous distribution in the matrix, the highest tensile strength was determined for the COPE/Calcite20 composite. A comparison of the tensile strengths revealed that for calcite reinforcement up to 20%, the tensile strength increased compared to that of the unfilled products and decreased for the 30% filled products. Additionally, no significant difference was detected when the tensile strength values of the COPE and R-COPE composites were compared.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe elongation at break (%) of the virgin COPE polymer was determined to be 459.72% in the tensile tests, as shown in Fig. 3. The high elongation at break indicates that the polymer is flexible, soft, and tough. The highest elongation at break (%) value in the COPE/calcite composites was 530.0% for the COPE/Calcite10 composite, and the % elongation values of all the polymer composites with up to 20% calcite reinforcement yielded higher % elongation results than did those of the pure state. Elongation decreased with increasing calcite concentration. In all the composite mixtures, the elongation at break values of the recycled products were greater than those of the virgin composite products.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe yield strength is the value at which the material passes from the elastic strain region to the plastic strain region. When the load applied below the yield limit value is removed, the polymer returns to its former physical state. When a load above this value is applied, the polymer no longer begins to flow and passes into the plastic deformation zone, as shown in Fig. 4. The values increased with increasing calcite concentration at the flow boundaries. This shows that the brittleness of the materials increased as the amount of calcite increased. A transition from a tougher flexible material to a more rigid material occurs. The yield limit of the COPE polymer was determined to be 7.44 MPa, and this value increased to 10.07 for the COPE/Calcite30 polymer composite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the impact strength results of the COPE/calcite composites, the impact strength of virgin COPE was the lowest, as shown in Fig. 5. The impact strength increased for all the polymer blends with the addition of calcite. An increase of 44% was detected in the COPE/Calcite30 composite, and an increase of 28.6% was detected in the R-COPE/Calcite30 polymer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo determine their hardness, materials such as polymers, elastomers, and rubbers were tested using a durometer. The penetration of the tip across the sample was measured. Fig. 6 shows the changes in the Shore-D hardness of the COPE and R-COPE composites. The lower the deformation is, the greater the hardness of the material. An increase in the Shore-D values of the composite materials was observed with increasing filler concentration. The highest shore value was observed for products with 30 wt% calcite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.3. Physical Properties of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOPE Composites\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe density of the pure COPE polymer was recorded as 1.15 g/cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e according to the results of the density measurements in Fig. 7. A slight linear increase was observed in all the composites with the addition of calcite. It is a COPE/Calcite30 polymer composite containing 30% calcite, with a maximum density of 1.37 g/cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e\u003csup\u003e,\u003c/sup\u003e which was 19.13% greater than that of virgin and recycled COPE polymers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.4.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMorphological properties of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethe\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOPE Composites\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnalysis of the phase morphology of the composite system supplies direct information on the mechanical properties of the obtained composites. SEM and EDX were used to investigate the morphological properties of the composites. SEM images of COPE, R-COPE, and selected composites (with 30% calcite) at different magnifications are shown in Fig. 8 (1000x and 10 000x). When the SEM images of COPE and R-COPE were examined, the folds observed on the COPE and R-COPE surfaces were found to indicate high plastic deformation before breaking. COPE and R-COPE exhibited ductile fracture because of their relatively low glass transition temperatures and high toughness. No cracks were observed in the SEM images due to the ductile fracture feature. Relative increases in the impact strength of COPE were observed when calcite was added, and it was confirmed that the fracture surfaces were more flexible and that ductile rupture was the dominant morphology. Similarly, the SEM images of the COPE and R-COPE composite samples revealed that calcite was homogeneously distributed in the COPE and R-COPE matrices at low feed rates. As the additive content increased, the formation of calcite regions, such as agglomerations, was not observed, but the dispersion effect decreased with increasing amount of calcite additive. With a good distribution effect, agglomeration was prevented, but due to the weak dispersion effect, the calcite contribution could not show an equal distribution throughout the matrix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe EDX spectrum and the atomic composition of the COPE, COPE/Calcite30, and R-COPE/Calcite30 composites are given in Fig. 9. No traces of Ca atoms were observed in the COPE sample, as shown in Fig. 9 (a). However, the EDX maps of the COPE/Calcite30 (Fig. 9(b)) and R-COPE/Calcite30 (Fig. 9(c)) composites indicate the presence of Ca atoms as yellow dots dispersed in the matrix. The presence of Ca atoms is evidence of the presence of calcite filler used in the study of polymer matrices. By superimposing the red, green, and yellow dots (C, O, Ca), the ratios of these atoms to each other, their positions, and location mapping were revealed. The dispersion of Ca atoms was homogenous, indicating homogenous dispersion of calcite in the composite matrix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThermal\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eanalysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethe polymer composites\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cold crystallization temperature (T\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e) and melting temperature (T\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e) of the COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite,\u0026nbsp;which were prepared at different concentrations,\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;determined via\u0026nbsp;DSC. The related data,\u0026nbsp;which\u0026nbsp;refer\u0026nbsp;to the second heating step,\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;summarized in Table 1. DSC thermograms of the COPE, R-COPE, and their composites\u0026nbsp;are shown\u0026nbsp;in Fig. 10. The COPE polymer and R-COPE polymer\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;melting\u0026nbsp;temperatures of approximately\u0026nbsp;149.9 \u0026deg;C and 149.53 \u0026deg;C, respectively. It was observed that there was a general increase in the Tc and Tm temperatures of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;COPE and R-COPE polymers depending on the amount of calcite filler\u0026nbsp;added, indicating that the addition of calcite filler improved the thermal stability of the composites.\u0026nbsp;This\u0026nbsp;can be attributed\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;the slight increase in T\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csub\u003e,\u003c/sub\u003e which activates the calcite filler as a nucleating agent in the matrix and increases the T\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e temperature. Compared with those of the COPE and R-COPE composites, the higher the crystallization temperature was, the greater the effect of the nucleating agent on the calcite in the recycled matrix. Furthermore, virgin COPE exhibited a broad exothermic peak before the main melting peak. This indicated that recrystallization occurred in the hard-crystalline region, which was sufficiently mobile to crystallize during heat screening. In the case of composites, the limited mobility of polymer chains by calcite causes no recrystallization during the heating process [24].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"border: none;width:416.6pt;border-collapse:collapse;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" style=\"width:416.6pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:40.6pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;color:black;'\u003eTable 1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;DSC results of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:125.4pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:33.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:-7.1pt;line-height:115%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;border:solid white 1.0pt;padding:4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt;'\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:normal;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;text-indent:7.1pt;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eEntry\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:33.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;margin-left:-56.9pt;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;text-indent:56.9pt;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:33.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:67.8pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:33.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026Delta;H\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(J/g)\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:1.25in;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:33.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026Delta;H\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(J/g)\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:125.4pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e110.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e149.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:67.8pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e-12.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:1.25in;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e11.6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:125.4pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE/Calcite5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e110.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e150.6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:67.8pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e-11.0\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:1.25in;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:18.4pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e12.0\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:125.4pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE/Calcite10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e111.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan 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style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eR-COPE/Calcite20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e130.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e152.4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:67.8pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e-6.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:1.25in;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e6.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:125.4pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eR-COPE/Calcite30\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:68.15pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e132.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:65.25pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e154.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:67.8pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e-5.5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:1.25in;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e3.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" style=\"width:416.6pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:20.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:justify;'\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;color:black;\"\u003ea\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;color:black;\"\u003eT\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003eT\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e, \u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026Delta;H\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e, and \u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026Delta;H\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;color:black;\"\u003edenote the cold crystallization, the melting point temperature, enthalpy of crystallization and melting of the polymer and composites in the second heating run of the DSC experiments in turn.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTGA thermograms of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites containing calcite\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;given in Table 2 and Fig. 11. The effect of the addition of calcite at different concentrations on the thermal stability of the polymer matrix was evaluated according to the data obtained by TGA. As seen from the TGA curves, the use of calcite in all\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;composites did not significantly change the thermal stability of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;polymer composites.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;T\u003csub\u003eonset\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e, and T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e temperatures increased with increasing calcite amount. When we compared COPE and R-COPE matrix composites, an increase of 1.1 \u0026deg;C was detected in the T\u003csub\u003eonset\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eof the R-COPE polymer compared to\u0026nbsp;that of\u0026nbsp;the COPE polymer.\u0026nbsp;At\u0026nbsp;the T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e temperature, where 50% mass loss was observed for the R-COPE/Calcite30 and COPE/Calcite30 polymer composites and where the maximum amount of calcite was fed, an increase of 3.35 \u0026deg;C was detected for the R-COPE polymer matrix. The char yield was affected by the amount of calcite. The char yield increases significantly with increasing amount of calcite in the polymer matrix.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"center\" style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"border: none;width:448.2pt;border-collapse:collapse;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" style=\"width:448.2pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:22.85pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style='font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;color:black;'\u003eTable 2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;TGA results of COPE, R-COPE, and their composites with calcite.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:-7.1pt;line-height:115%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;border:solid white 1.0pt;padding:4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt;'\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:150%;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;text-indent:7.1pt;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family: \"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eEntry\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eonset\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e5%\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e50%\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eT\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003emax\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC)\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:59.9pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:42.55pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003eChar Yield\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e(%)\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e377.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e367.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e402.0\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;border:none;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59.9pt;border: medium;background: rgb(191, 191, 191);padding: 0in 5.4pt;height: 19.3pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e6.6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE/Calcite10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e379.4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e368.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e402.5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:19.3pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59.9pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;height: 19.3pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e12.8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE/Calcite20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e379.8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e369.8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e406.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59.9pt;background: rgb(191, 191, 191);padding: 0in 5.4pt;height: 21.1pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e22.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eCOPE/Calcite30\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e382.0\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e371.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e412.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59.9pt;padding: 0in 5.4pt;height: 21.1pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e32.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eR-COPE\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e378.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e368.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e401.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:59.9pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e6.6\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eR-COPE/Calcite10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e380.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e369.8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e402.5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.2\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:59.9pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e12.8\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eR-COPE/Calcite20\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e380.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e371.4\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e407.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:59.9pt;background:#BFBFBF;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e23.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:152.2pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:16px;line-height:150%;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eR-COPE/Calcite30\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:63.2pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e382.0\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:55.3pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e371.9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:57.1pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e415.5\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:60.5pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e404.3\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width:59.9pt;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;margin-top:0in;text-align:center;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color:black;\"\u003e33.7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" style=\"width:448.2pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:21.1pt;\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv style='margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:115%;font-size:15px;font-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;border:solid white 1.0pt;padding:4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt 4.0pt;'\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:normal;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003ea\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eT\u003csub\u003eonset\u003c/sub\u003e represents the onset decomposition temperature of the films.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:normal;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eb\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eT\u003csub\u003e5%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eand T\u003csub\u003e50%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003erepresents\u003csub\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003ethe temperatures of weight loses at 5% and 50% in turn.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:normal;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003ec\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eT\u003csub\u003emax\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eare the temperature that corresponds to the maximum rate of weight loss.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0in;text-align:left;line-height:normal;border:none;padding:0in;font-size:11px;font-family:\"Arial\",sans-serif;'\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;color:black;\"\u003ed\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cspan style='font-size:13px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;color:black;'\u003eThe percentage weight remaining at 600 \u0026deg;C.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn our study, COPE composites\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;stearic acid-coated calcite, an inorganic filling material, were successfully prepared to\u0026nbsp;improve\u0026nbsp;the mechanical and thermal properties that\u0026nbsp;can be utilized in industry. To compare with\u0026nbsp;those of\u0026nbsp;COPE, composites were produced with recycled COPE (R-COPE), and calcite\u0026nbsp;was prepared\u0026nbsp;at different concentrations for both polymers. A significant increase in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;tensile strength and modulus\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the polymer composites was obtained with\u0026nbsp;increasing\u0026nbsp;calcite concentration. An increase in the impact resistance\u0026nbsp;was observed for\u0026nbsp;all\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;composites with increasing calcite concentration. According to the impact strength results, an increase of 44% was detected in the COPE/Calcite30 composite compared to the unfilled COPE polymer.\u0026nbsp;Compared with the unfilled product, the\u0026nbsp;elongation at break % yielded\u0026nbsp;greater\u0026nbsp;elongation, resulting in\u0026nbsp;up to 20% calcite reinforcement. This difference, unlike in\u0026nbsp;other studies, was observed to increase the % values of impact strength and elongation at break due to the stronger interfacial\u0026nbsp;relationships\u0026nbsp;between stearic acid-coated calcite and\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;polymer matrix.\u0026nbsp;Increasing the amount\u0026nbsp;of coated calcite improved the thermal properties of the composites due to the small and uniform crystallite size distribution. In terms of thermal properties, it has been observed that with the addition of calcite to polymer matrices,\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;T\u003csub\u003ec\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003eonset\u003c/sub\u003e, T\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e, and T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e temperatures significantly increase. Due to the inorganic structure of calcite, the char yield increased significantly as the amount of calcite in the polymer matrix increased. Morphological studies have shown that the calcite was homogenously dispersed in the polymer matrix. However, with increasing calcite concentration, it became difficult to distribute calcite homogeneously in the matrix. It was determined that the dispersion effect was weak/cite did not show an equal distribution everywhere; however, it was observed that the distribution effect was strong because agglomerations were not observed. According to the EDX analysis results, the presence of calcite atoms in the structure of the calcite-added polymer composites was proven.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors received specific funding for this work from Kocaeli University BAP (Project No. FYL-2022-2816).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eYunus Emre Sucu: Visualization,\u0026nbsp;Methodology,\u0026nbsp;Writing\u003cbr\u003e- original draft preparation, Formal analysis. Merve Dandan Doganci: Supervision, Formal analysis,\u0026nbsp;Funding acquisition, Writing-review and editing, Methodology. All\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;authors reviewed the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eavailability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ethe data are available upon request to the authors.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003cp\u003e1. \u0026nbsp; Walker B (1979) Handbook of Thermoplastic Elastomer. Litton Education, New York.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2. \u0026nbsp; Sreekanth M, Bambole V, Mhaske S, Mahanwar P (2009) Effect of concentration of mica on properties of polyester thermoplastic elastomer composites. J Miner Mater Charact Eng 8(4):271-282.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3. \u0026nbsp; Yang L, Ou Z, Jiang G (2023) Research progress of elastomer materials and application of elastomers in drilling fluid. 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(2004) Influence of excessive filler coating on the tensile properties of LDPE\u0026ndash;calcium carbonate composites. Polymer \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e45(4):1177-1183.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e40. \u0026nbsp; Yang K, Yang, Q., Li, G., Sun, Y., \u0026amp; Feng, D. (2006) Mechanical properties and morphologies of polypropylene with different sizes of calcium carbonate particles. Polym. Compos. 27(4): 443-450.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e41. \u0026nbsp; Doganci MD, Caner D, Doganci E, Ozkoc G (2021) Effects of hetero‐armed star‐shaped PCL‐PLA polymers with POSS core on thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of PLA. J Appl Polym Sci 138(29):50712.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e42. \u0026nbsp; Doganci MD, Aynali F, Doganci E, Ozkoc G (2019) Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of poly (lactic acid) by using star-shaped poly (\u0026epsilon;-caprolactone) with POSS core. Eur Polym J 121:109316.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Calcite, Composite, COPE, Copolyester, TPE-E","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the effects of different concentrations of stearic acid-coated calcite (CaCO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of thermoplastic polyester elastomers (COPE or TPE-E) were investigated. Moreover, COPEs, which consist of process wastes that are qualified as postindustrial recycled (PIR), were physically recycled. Recycled polymer composites (100%) were obtained by blending the physically recycled COPE polymer with stearic acid-coated calcite at different concentrations. COPE composites (virgin and PIR) containing different concentrations of calcite (5 to 30 wt%) were prepared by melt compounding. It has been determined that mechanical properties such as flexural strength and modulus increase with calcite concentration, while tensile strength decreases at higher concentrations owing to the stronger interfacial relationships between the polymer matrix and stearic acid-coated calcite. The thermal properties of the composite increased with increasing calcite filler concentration. Morphological studies revealed good dispersion of calcite fillers at lower concentrations in the polymer matrix.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer Composites Filled with Calcite","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2024-03-14 20:24:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2024-03-11 05:39:16","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4007030/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"75b46820-d946-4606-aee2-af51d9b0bc28","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 14th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-03-13T11:17:43+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-03-14 20:24:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-4007030","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4007030","identity":"rs-4007030","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}