Morphology and Thermal Properties of MCPA6/ABS by in situ Polymerization of ε‐Caprolactam

Abstract

AbstractSummary: In this work, blends of monomer casting polyamide 6 (MCPA6) and acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) were successfully prepared by in situ polymerization via the application of ε‐caprolactam as a reactive solvent. The morphology and thermal properties of MCPA6/ABS were investigated by means of wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The domain sizes of the ABS phase in MCPA6/ABS blends were much finer than those in corresponding polyamide 6 (PA6)/ABS blends prepared by simple melt blending. With an increased amount of ABS in MCPA6, the melt enthalpy (ΔHf), the rate of crystallization (Tc) and the degree of crystallinity (Xc(DSC)) of MCPA6 in MCPA6/ABS blends were all decreased. The degree of supercooling (ΔTd) showed a contrary trend. However, the melting temperatures of these blends were almost unchanged. All the results could be attributed to in situ polymerization and the hydrolysis reaction of ABS that occurred during the polymerization process. Furthermore, WAXD results showed that only α‐form crystals existed in the MCPA6/ABS blends, despite the ABS content and heat treatment.SEM micrograph of the fractured surface of an MCPA6/ABS blend with an ABS content of 20 wt.‐% (×10 000).imageSEM micrograph of the fractured surface of an MCPA6/ABS blend with an ABS content of 20 wt.‐% (×10 000).