Constructing a Highly Oriented Shish-Kebab HDPE/UHMWPE Blend via Solvent-Assisted Rotational Shear for Enhanced Tensile Strength and Wear Resistance

Fabricating high-molecular-weight PE blends with excellent mechanical properties remains challenging due to the entanglements between interlocking molecular chains. Conventional extrusion methods fail to disentangle molecular chains to form highly oriented shish-kebab structures. To address this issue, a two-step approach combining mineral oil treatment and a rotational shear system (RSS) has been employed to enhance the dispersion and compatibility of UHMWPE in HDPE. Mineral oil was utilized to reduce entanglements of UHMWPE, further facilitating the formation of an interlocking shish-kebab structure under shear fields. The shish length of 918.6 nm provides a solid foundation for the enhancement of the mechanical properties. The resulting HDPE/UHMWPE achieved an improved tensile strength to 99.9 MPa and wear resistance to 3.14 × 10–5 mm3/Nm. This work provides valuable insights into processing strategies for HDPE/UHMWPE blends with enhanced mechanical performance and a longer service life.