Effects of molecular weights and compatibilizing agents on the morphology and properties of blends containing polypropylene and nylon‐6

Abstract

AbstractPolymer blends containing nylon‐6 of different molecular weights (MW) and polypropylene (PP) were prepared by using a twin screw extruder in order to examine the effects of molecular weights of nylon and the influences of different types of compatibilizing agents on the phase morphology and the properties. The morphology of the resulting blends was characterized by using both scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope and the properties measured included Izod impact strength, melt flow index (MI), flexural modulus, and heat distortion temperature (HDT). It was found that the molecular weights of the nylon matrix had a significant effect on the phase morphology. The fracture surface of the low MW nylon blend demonstrated a uniformed phase morphology with the dispersed PP particles of dimensions in the range of 1 μm in diameter embedded in the nylon matrix, suggesting an improved compatibility as compared with the high MW nylon system, even though these two constituents were incompatible in nature. Three different types of compatibilizers, including maleic anhydride modified PP (MA‐g‐PP), acrylic acid modified PP (AA‐g‐PP), and ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (EGMA), were used to examine their effects. It seemed that blends compatibilized with MA‐g‐PP exhibited the most homogeneous phase morphology and superior mechanical properties among the three. In the blends containing low MW nylon as the matrix phase, the Izod impact strength was shown to have increased by about 40% as compared with the noncompatibilized blend, while a 20% increase of the impact strength was measured in the high MW nylon system. The effects of nylon's molecular weights and the compatibilizers were also studied in systems of PP/nylon blends reinforced with silane‐treated glass fibers. It was shown that the properties of the composites relied on the phase morphology which, in turn, was affected by both the molecular weight of nylon and the compatibilizing agents. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.