Raman and Wide‐Angle X‐Ray Diffraction Studies on Molecular Structure, Crystallinity, and Morphology of Uncompatibilized and Compatibilized Blends of High Molecular Weight Polyethylene/Nylon 12

Abstract

AbstractMolecular structure, crystallinity and morphology of uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE) and Nylon 12 were investigated by using Fourier‐transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy, wide‐angle x‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). One of the important purposes of the present study is to compare the present results for HMWPE/Nylon 12 with the previously obtained results for high‐density polyethylene (HDPE/Nylon 12). Uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of HMWPE/Nylon 12 with a Nylon 12 content ranging from 10 to 90 wt% at increments of 10 wt% were prepared. The compatibilized polymer blends were prepared by adding a small amount of maleic anhydride (MAH), and SEM images show that the addition of the small amount of MAH (0.5 wt%) yields a marked improvement of dispersion of HMWPE and Nylon 12. To evaluate the crystallinity of HMWPE from Raman spectra, the relative intensities of bands at 1418 and 1129 cm−1 to the intensity of a band at 1000 cm−1 (I1418/I1000 and I1129/I1000) were estimated for all the uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of HMWPE/Nylon 12. From the comparison of the relative intensities (I1418/I1000 and I1129/I1000) between the uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of HMWPE/Nylon 12 it was found that when the Nylon 12 content reaches 40 wt% the crystallinity of HMWPE in the compatibilized blends becomes higher than that of HMWPE in the uncompatibilized blends. The uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of HMWPE/Nylon 12 (50/50) show quite different x‐ray diffraction patterns; the compatibilized blend shows a significantly larger orientational effect in the x‐ray pattern of HMWPE. It seems that the increase of interaction of MAH‐HMWPE with the Nylon 12 matrix leads to the additional crystallinity.