MSc Thesis Defense: Yusuf Alper Gül, DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING THERMOPLASTICS THROUGH COMPATIBILIZATION AND INTERFACIAL ENGINEERING OF RECYCLED PA66/ABS BLENDS, Date & Time: 20 July, 2026 – 1:00 PM, Place: FENS L067

DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING THERMOPLASTICS THROUGH COMPATIBILIZATION AND INTERFACIAL ENGINEERING OF RECYCLED PA66/ABS BLENDS

Yusuf Alper Gül
Manufacturing Engineering, MSc Thesis, 2026

Thesis Jury

     Prof. Burcu Saner Okan (Thesis Advisor)

  Assoc. Prof. Bekir Dizman

  Asst. Prof. Bertan Beylergil

Date & Time: 20th July, 2026 – 1:00 PM

Place: FENS L067

Keywords : Recycled Polyamide 66, ABS Blends, Compatibilization, Interfacial Engineering, Circular Engineering Thermoplastics

Abstract

The reuse of recycled engineering thermoplastics in high-performance applications remains a major materials design challenge because it requires the compatibilization of thermodynamically immiscible polymers with distinct morphological characteristics, control of interfacial interactions, and development of formulations that remain processable at industrial scale. In this thesis, a scalable compound formulation was developed by combining semi-crystalline recycled PA66 derived from tire-cord fabric production waste with amorphous ABS. First, different rPA66/ABS ratios were systematically evaluated, and the 60/40 composition was identified as the optimum balance in terms of mechanical performance and processability. Reactive and physical compatibilization strategies were then comparatively investigated, leading to a base formulation with a balanced stiffness–toughness profile through controlled interfacial engineering. Reactive compatibilization increased notched Izod impact strength by up to 58%, while the tensile modulus exceeded the specified value of the commercial benchmark by 30.4% and flexural strength by 17.0%. The optimized base formulation was subsequently modified with waste tire-derived graphene nanoplatelets and MeltPAN, a melt-processable polyacrylonitrile developed as an additive grade of the PAN polymer used in acrylic fiber production. Across the advanced formulations, impact strength improvements of up to 54% and flexural strength gains of up to 7.2% were achieved relative to the reference formulation. Overall, this thesis establishes a scalable, performance-tunable, and commercially relevant engineering thermoplastic platform based on recycled and circular raw-material streams.