Barrier property enhancement of polyamide 6 by blending with a polyhydroxyamino‐ether resin

In this work, the transport properties of the system formed by polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyhydroxyamino‐ether resin (PHAE) have been studied after characterizing the miscibility behavior. A single glass transition has been observed using differential scanning calorimetry that usually means total miscibility, but measurements by solid‐state cross‐polarization magic angle spinning NMR have shown that this system is only partially miscible, in good agreement with phase behavior reported before. Both carbon dioxide and water vapor transport properties of PA6/PHAE blends have been measured. For both penetrants, permeability coefficient shows an interesting negative deviation from the additive value, even the barrier character to carbon dioxide of pure PHAE is maintained up to 60 % in PA6 composition. Besides, PHAE reduces the plasticization effect of water in PA6. These improvements are very interesting for the PA 6 due to its wide use in packaging applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1625–1634, 2009     

Thermal oxidative stability and effect of water on gas transport and mechanical properties in PA6‐EVOH films

The thermal oxidative stability and the effect of water on gas transport and mechanical properties of blends of polyamide 6 (PA6) with ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and EVOH modified with carboxyl groups (EVOH‐COOH) have been investigated. The presence of EVOH reduces water vapor and oxygen gas permeability of polyamide, as well as small amounts of EVOH‐COOH further improve barrier properties, especially to oxygen. This has been explained in terms of improved interactions of the blend constituents in the amorphous phase, due to ionic linkages between the polyamide amino groups and the carboxyls of modified EVOH. The permeation to gases was found to increase with the amount of sorbed water. The morphology of the samples was found to have an effect on barrier properties, as the presence of EVOH causes the PA6 α crystalline form to increase, lowering the permeability to oxygen and water vapor. Mechanical properties are strongly affected by water sorption, as tensile modulus and strength decrease with increasing water content. Chemiluminescence (CL), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and tensile test were employed in order to assess the correlation between chemical composition and the thermal oxidative stability of the films aged at 110 °C in air. CL experiments suggest that the presence of EVOH and EVOH‐COOH efficiently inhibits the formation of peroxidized species during the processing, and increases the thermal oxidative stability of the films. Infrared spectroscopy showed a build‐up of carbonyl absorption in the range 1700–1780 cm^?1, due to the formation of oxidation products, which is greater in the case of the pure polymer. Tensile tests on films revealed a reduction in ductility as a result of ageing for neat PA6, whereas in comparison the blends exhibit a far better long‐term stability. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 840–849, 2007     

Barrier,Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Properties of Compatibilized High Density Polyethylene and Polyamide 6 Blends

Effectiveness of the content of maleic anhydride (MAH) and polyamide 6 (PA6) on mechanical, thermal, barrier (moisture and oxygen) properties of HDPE/PA6 blends was investigated. Blends of HDPE with PA6 were prepared by in situ method. Molau test and FTIR spectroscopy results confirmed the reactive compatibilization through grafting of MAH on HDPE and PA6 chains in PA6/HDPE blends. Low concentration of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and MAH reduced the particle size, improved phase morphology and mechanical properties of PA6/HDPE blends. Decrease in mechanical properties of PA6/HDPE blends was observed at high concentration of BPO and MAH.     

Influence of Reactive Compatibilization on the Melt Flow Properties and Morphology of Polyamide 6/Styrene-Acrylonitrile Blends

Summary: In this study, we investigate the influence of reactive compatibilization on the rheological properties of polyamide 6/styrene-acrylonitrile (PA 6/SAN) blends in the melt. Linear viscoelastic shear oscillations, simple elongation to a large stretch ratio and subsequent recovery experiments were performed. The morphology of the blends was examined by atomic force microscopy. We prepared three PA 6/SAN blends with different composition ratios of PA 6 and SAN (70/30, 50/50, 30/70) and a constant concentration of the reactive agent. Our experiments revealed that reactive compatibilization significantly increases the complex modulus of PA 6/SAN blends at low frequencies. In particular, the data of the PA 6/SAN 50/50 blend and the PA 6/SAN 30/70 blend indicated that an elastic network between neighbouring PA 6 domains was formed. In simple elongation, the transient elongational viscosity of the blends exceeded the values of the single components. In recovery, the recovered stretch of all blends was larger than the recovered stretch of the pure components. The differences of the blend morphology and of the linear viscoelastic behaviour were qualitatively explained by the asymmetric properties of the reactively compatibilized interface.     

Photo-oxidation behaviour of polyethylene/polyamide 6 blends filled with organomodified clay: Improvement of the photo-resistance through morphology modification

The impact of small amounts of organomodified clay (OMMT) on the photo-degradation behaviour of two blends obtained by mixing either low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE) with polyamide 6 (PA6) (LDPE/PA6 and HDPE/PA6 75/25 wt-%) was studied. The complex photo-degradation behaviour was followed by monitoring the main physical-mechanical properties of the blends. In particular, mechanical and spectroscopic tests were performed in conditions of accelerated artificial aging. An accurate mechanical and morphological characterization was previously carried out. The presence of the OMMT promotes the unexpected formation of a co-continuous morphology for the HDPE/PA6 blend without significantly improving the interfacial adhesion. Differently, the OMMT-filled LDPE/PA6 blend exhibits a finely distributed morphology, and some apparent improvement of the interfacial adhesion was noticed. Probably due to these differences in microstructure, a different impact of the nanoparticles on the photo-resistance behaviours was observed for the two families of samples. In particular, the HDPE-based nanocomposite blend exhibits an improved photo-resistance, while the opposite occurs for the LDPE-based system.     

显微镜图像分析研究聚丙烯/尼龙1010共混物相结构及其性能

用扫描电子显微镜图像分析研究了聚丙烯/聚酰胺1010共混物及其部分相容体系的相形态结构,计算了表征相结构和尺寸的结构参数,如分散相的平均直径、平均弦长和分散相的质心相关距等.并分别讨论了聚丙烯/聚酰胺1010共混物及其部分相容体系的相形态以及其结构参数与共混物组成的关系.测定了聚合物及其共混物体系的力学性能,讨论了共混物组成与力学性能的关系.聚丙烯/聚酰胺1010共混物的拉伸模量与组成的关系较为复杂,但其部分相容体系的拉伸模量与组成呈线性关系.聚丙烯/聚酰胺1010及其共混物体系的屈服强度与共混物组成均呈线性关系.表征相结构的两相平均弦长比(l-1/-l2)与组成以及共混物体系力学性能与组成的关系,二者相似.同时讨论了体系力学性能随相尺寸等的变化规律.     

Maleic Anhydride Polyethylene Octene Elastomer Toughened Polyamide 6/Polypropylene Nanocomposites: Mechanical and Morphological Properties

A series of polyamide 6/polypropylene (PA6/PP) blends and nanocomposites containing 4 wt% of organophilic modified montmorillonite (MMT) were designed and prepared by melt compounding followed by injection molding. Maleic anhydride polyethylene octene elastomer (POEgMAH) was used as impact modifier as well as compatibilizer in the blend system. Three weight ratios of PA6/PP blends were prepared i.e. 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40. The mechanical properties of PA6/PP blends and nanocomposite were studied through flexural and impact properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the microstructure. The incorporation of 10 wt% POEgMAH into PA6/PP blends significantly increased the toughness with a corresponding reduction in strength and stiffness. However, on further addition of 4 wt% organoclay, the strength and modulus increased but with a sacrifice in impact strength. It was also found that the mechanical properties are a function of blend ratio with 70:30 PA6/PP having the highest impact strength, both for blends and nanocomposites. The morphological study revealed that within the blend ratio studied, the higher the PA6 content, the finer were the POEgMAH particles.     

Compatibilizing effect of functionalized polystyrene blends: a study of morphology,thermal, and mechanical properties

Polystyrene (PS), being an amorphous polymer is immiscible with other polymers. To engender miscible blends, PS has been functionalized with an active amino‐functional group on the molecular chains of PS to yield amino‐substituted polystyrene (APS), which serves as a reactive compatibilizer. The compatibilization effect of amino functionalized polystyrene on the rubber toughening was explored and results were compared in terms of morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of PS/SEBS‐g‐MA versus APS/SEBS‐g‐MA blends. In addition, the effect of rubber content on the blend morphology and mechanical properties were investigated. An appreciable change in the thermal stability of APS blends in comparison with PS blend has been probed. A marked correlation has been observed between phase morphology and thermal stability. Use of APS produced the compatibilized blends which render improved blend morphology, enhanced thermal and mechanical properties. Optimal thermal, morphological and mechanical profiles were depicted by 20‐wt% APS blend. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal degradation and crystallisation studies of reactively compatibilised polymer blends

The thermal degradation and crystallisation behaviours of polyamide12/isotactic polypropylene (PA12/PP) blends were studied. Effects of blend ratio and compatibiliser concentration on the thermal degradation properties of the blends were analysed. The activation energy for degradation in compatibilised and uncompatibilised blends computed using Horowitz-Metzger equation was reported. The blend ratio as well as the presence of compatibiliser has significant effect on the thermal stability of the blends. Phase morphology was found to be one of the decisive factors that affected the thermal stability of both uncompatibilised and compatibilised blends. Melting and crystallisation behaviours of the blends in the presence and absence of compatibiliser were evaluated. It was observed that blending has no significant effect on the melting and crystallisation properties of PA12 and PP. Compatibilisation of 70/30 and 50/50 PA12/PP blends didn't affect the crystallisation and melting behaviours of PA12 and PP even though some discrepancies were observed.     

滑石粉及混炼顺序对PA6/PP/MAPP合金相形态及力学性能的影响

通过挤出和注射成型制备了滑石粉(Talc)填充的尼龙6/聚丙烯/马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯(PA6/PP/MAPP)合金, 研究了Talc和混炼顺序(一步法和PA6母料法)对合金相形态和力学性能的影响. 场发射扫描电镜(FESEM)分析结果表明, 添加Talc后注射样条中心部分的PP相由球状转变为沿流动方向取向的有分支的条状结构, 且用PA6母料法制样比用一步法制样的相形态更为精细. 溶解PA6相后对PP相进行热重分析(TGA), 确定了Talc在PA6相和PP相中的分布比例, Talc选择性分布于PA6相中. PA6母料法中Talc的分散好于一步法. 研究了材料的拉伸、 弯曲、 冲击、 热变形温度和动态力学性能, Talc的添加能够明显提高材料的刚性, 且母料法样品的性能优于一步法样品.     

New polyamide - based blends

Among polyamide based blends, PA/PP alloys show interesting technological properties due to low moisture absorption. A model class of PA6/PP homopolymer blends, compatibilized through the addition of PP-g-MA is described in the present work; the experimentally obtained morphologies are related to predictive equations for co-continuity, at given rheological conditions. PP/compatibilizer ratio = 4/1 is found to impart an optimum level of phase dispersion. Moisture absorption, dimensional stability, mechanical properties and morphology are related with blend composition.     

Reactive blending: inhomogeneous interface grafting in melts of maleinated polystyrene and polyamides

To be competitive, most blends need compatibilizers, usually copolymers with a blocky architecture, the chains of which cover the interfaces between the blend phases, refining the phase morphology and improving the interface strength. When the blend components are suitably functionalized, such copolymers can be conveniently generated in situ, in processes of reactive blending. Normally, graft copolymers are created. The polymer–polymer coupling proceeds exclusively in the interfaces. This interface grafting is (i) pivotal in the design of modern blend systems and (ii) an interesting route towards novel copolymers. The complex kinetics of interface grafting in blend melts have so far attracted little attention. In a model study, amino terminated polyamide 12 (PA) was grafted in the melt onto heavily maleinated polystyrene (SMA; S: styrene and MA: maleic anhydride). Anhydride and amino functions react at high temperatures fast and irreversibly by imide condensation. A series of SMA/PA blends differing in composition and PA chain lengths was investigated, with the aim of driving the grafting to high conversions so a pure graft copolymer SMAgPA would result, instead of an SMA/PA/SMAgPA blend. However, a pure copolymer was never obtained. The grafting remained incomplete, except with very short-chained PA and only at equal weight fractions of SMA and PA. More importantly, the SMA chains were never grafted evenly. Instead, “overgrafted” and “undergrafted” chains SMAgPA coexisted in one and the same product. It appears that the SMAgPA chains form an auto-inhibitory barrier in the interfaces that prevents random grafting. Grafting proceeds to high conversion only in SMA/PA blends with a co-continuous phase morphology where the interfaces are constantly torn apart and renewed, during melt blending, so the reaction is constantly reactivated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactive compatibilization of nylon copolymer/EPDM blends: experimental aspects and their comparison with theory

In situ reactive compatibilization was first time applied to a low melting nylon (nylon 6 and 66 copolymer) and EPDM blend system. The effects of in situ compatibilization and concentration of compatibilizer on the morphology and mechanical properties of nylon/EPDM blends have been investigated. The influence of EPM‐g‐MA on the phase morphology was examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after preferential extraction of the minor phase. The SEM micrographs were quantitatively analyzed for domain size measurements. The compatibilizer concentrations used were 0, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 wt%. The graft copolymer (nylon‐g‐EPM) formed at the interface showed relatively high emulsifying activity. A maximum phase size reduction was observed when 2.5 wt% of compatibilizer was added to the blend system. This was followed by a leveling‐off at higher loadings indicating interfacial saturation. The conformation of the compatibilizer at the interface was deduced based on the area occupied by the compatibilizer at the blend interface. The experimental compatibilization results were compared with theoretical predictions of Noolandi and Hong. It was concluded that the molecular state of compatibilizer at interface changes with concentration. The in situ compatibilized blends showed considerable improvement in mechanical properties. Measurement of tensile properties shows increased elongation as well as enhanced modulus and strength up on compatibilization. At higher concentrations of compatibilizer, a leveling‐off of the tensile properties was observed. A good correlation has been observed between the mechanical properties and morphological parameters. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase morphology, crystallisation behaviour and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene/high density polyethylene blends

The phase morphology, crystallisation behaviour and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) blends were investigated. It was found that the properties are intimately related to each other. The morphology of the blends showed a two phase structure in which the minor phase was dispersed as domains in the major continuous matrix phase. The domain size of the dispersed phase increased with increasing concentration of that phase due to coalescence. It was also found that the domain size of the dispersed phase depends on the viscosity difference between the two phases. For a given HDPE/iPP blend, where HDPE is the matrix and iPP is the dispersed phase, the iPP domains were smaller than HDPE domains of the corresponding iPP/HDPE blend where iPP is the matrix and HDPE is the dispersed phase. A co-continuous morphology was observed at 50/50 PP/HDPE composition. Crystallinity studies revealed that blending has not much effect on the crystalline melting point of polypropylene and high density polyethylene. The crystallisation enthalpy and heat of fusion values of HDPE and PP in the blend were decreased as the amount of the other component increased. The variation in percent crystallinity of HDPE and PP in the blend was found to depend on the morphology of the blend. All the mechanical properties except Young's modulus and hardness showed negative deviation from the additivity line. This is due to the incompatibility of these blends.     

Phase separation of off‐critical polymer blends of poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) and poly(methyl methacrylate). II. Morphology and mechanical properties

The effects of the phase‐separation temperature and time on the mechanical properties and morphology of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride with 10 wt% ethyl acrylate) (SMA) blends were studied. Two compositions (20/80 and 40/60 w/w SMA/PMMAe) were prepared with a miniature twin‐screw extruder. Compared with those of the miscible blends, the Young's modulus values of the blends increased after the phase separation of the 40/60 SMA/PMMAe blend and within the early stage of spinodal decomposition of the 20/80 SMA/PMMAe blend. The mechanical properties, in terms of the tensile strength at break and the elongation, were better for the miscible blends than for the phase‐separation blends. This was believed to be the result of changes in the composition and molecular reorganization. The changes in the phase‐separating domains of both compositions, as observed by transmission electron microscopy, had no significant influence on the tensile moduli. Detailed studies of the morphology revealed a cocontinuous structure, indicating that the blends underwent spinodal decomposition. A morphological comparison of the two compositions illustrated the validity of the level rule. The growth rate of the droplet size was determined by approximation from the light scattering data and by direct measurements with transmission electron microscopy. The discrepancies observed in the droplet size growth rate were attributed to heat variations induced by the different sample thicknesses and heat transfer during the investigation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 886–897, 2004     

Interfacial interaction and morphology of EVOH and ionomer blends by scanning thermal microscopy and its correlation with barrier characteristics

In a blend, the interfacial interaction between the component phases can be effectively utilized to bring about homogeneous mixing and unique performances. While in conventional blends, preserving the morphology of the melt mixed state is unfeasible because of the strong thermodynamic tendency of the components to phase separate, herein, we report the intermolecular interaction of two hydrogen bonded polymers such as a barrier polymer poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) with an ionic polymer in their blends, which work symbiotically to achieve the desirable characteristics. We demonstrate the creation of a unique ellipsoid microfibrilliar morphology and melt exfoliation of one polymer in the blends through intermolecular interaction and achieve high oxygen barrier characteristics. Scanning thermal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations confirm the presence of such unique morphology. The interfacial interaction and formation of interphase was evident from the local thermal analysis results combined with photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (PA-FTIR). PA-FTIR confirms the chemical nature of the interaction, while the differential scanning calorimetry results indicate modification of the EVOH phase by the ionomer. The shift of Tg and broadening of the tan delta curve is evident from dynamic mechanical analysis confirming the interaction of the blend components. The blend B(60) with microfibrillar morphology shows fourfold drop in oxygen permeability indicating the role of interfacial interaction and desired morphology.     

Characterization of elastomeric blends by atomic force microscopy

The bulk mechanical properties of a blend of elastomers are found to depend on the micro and nano scale morphology of the phases of the materials in the blend. In this study, we examine the phase morphology of blends of incompatible elastomers using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Specifically, nanoindentation and Tapping Mode AFM (TMAFM) imaging techniques are used as experimental tools for mapping the composition of unfilled elastomeric blends. Depending on the composition of the blend, either co‐continuous or discontinuous domain/matrix morphology is observed. To identify the different components in bromobutyl (BIIR)/natural rubber (NR) blends, nanoscale indentation measurements were made on the observed phase‐separated regions. Results from force mode AFM and mechanical measurements of bulk NR and BIIR are used to assist in the interpretation of the TMAFM results for the BIIR/NR blends. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 492–503, 2006     

间规聚苯乙烯/等规聚丙烯/间规聚苯乙烯-b-聚(1-丁烯)共混体系相容性

间规聚苯乙烯(sPS)的改性主要是对其增韧改性,提高其力学性能.sPS的化学改性已有较多文献报道[1,2].     

Blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with PMMA ionomers: Mechanical properties

Rigid–rigid blends made of ionomer and ionomer precursor polymer, based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), have been investigated. Two series of blends have been prepared for studying mechanical properties. In one series, dynamic mechanical properties were determined over a wide range of temperatures. As the weight fraction of the ionomer was increased, there was a modest increase of modulus at ambient temperature and a very large increase in the rubbery modulus at elevated temperatures above the glass transition temperature of PMMA. In a second series of tests, tensile stress–strain measurements, made at an ambient temperature, were carried out over a wide range of blend compositions. For all blends tested, the mechanical properties exhibited a synergistic enhancement, i.e., average values of modulus, strength and fracture energy were all higher than expected based on the rule of mixtures. Measurements of fracture toughness also exhibited synergy, with a maximum value, higher than the value of either blend component, being attained in blends containing about 30 wt % of the PMMA ionomer. These results are interpreted in terms of a higher resistance to fracture of the more chain-entangled ionomer phase and good interfacial adhesion between the two components of the blend. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1235–1245, 1998     

Rheology, morphology and mechanical properties of polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (PE/EVA) blends

Rheology, morphology and mechanical properties of binary PE and EVA blends together with their thermal behavior were studied. The results of rheological studies showed that, for given PE and EVA, the interfacial interaction in PE-rich blends is higher than EVA-rich blends, which in turn led to finer and well-distributed morphology in PE-rich blends. Using two different models, the phase inversion composition was predicted to be in 45 and 47 wt% of the PE phase. This was justified by morphological studies, where a clear co-continuous morphology for 50/50 blend was observed. The tensile strength for PE-rich blends showed positive deviation from mixing rule, whereas the 50/50 blend and EVA-rich blends displayed negative deviation. These results were in a good agreement with the results of viscoelastic behavior of the blends. The elongation at break was found to follow the same trend as tensile strength except for 90/10 PE/EVA blend. The latter was explained in terms of the effect of higher co-crystallization in 90/10 composition, which increased the tensile strength and decreased the elongation at break in this composition. The results of thermal behavior of the blends indicated that the melting temperatures of PE and EVA decrease and increase, respectively, due to the dilution effect of EVA on PE and nucleation effect of PE on EVA.