*2.1.4. Polyethylene blends preparation*

For HMMPE blends, the dried 1.0 wt% TC3 white (or purified TLCP) in powder form and HMMPE in pellet form were mechanically pre-mixed at room temperature until macroscopically homogeneous. The mixture was then extruded using a Dr. Collin twin screw extruder (Dr. Collin GMBH, Germany) at 190 oC with two-time extrusion at different speeds (75 rad/s and 300 rad/s respectively). The extrudate was palletized and kept dry inside an oven overnight to remove moisture generated during the process.
