Well dispersion of poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) in isotactic polypropylene mediated by incorporation of graphene and the elevated toughness

Abstract

Polymers with benzene rings in structures including polystyrene (PS) and poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS) could function as rigid organic particles and macromolecular β nucleating agents to toughen isotactic polypropylene (iPP), and the toughening effect mainly depends on their dispersibility in iPP matrix. In this work, a third component of graphene (G) was introduced into the iPP/PS and iPP/ABS blends, respectively, to mediate the dispersibility of these polymers in the iPP via melt blending. Selective dispersion of graphene in these immiscible blends has been investigated with SEM, DSC, and a rheometer. It was interesting to obtain a more favorable dispersion of ABS in the iPP/ABS/G blend compared with the iPP/ABS blend, and the corresponding toughness showed a prominent improvement accompanied with an elevation in rigidity. The underlying mechanism for the improved dispersion of ABS in the iPP/ABS/G blends has been discussed in detail. However, because of a better affinity of the graphene to the PS than the iPP matrix, graphene could only locate in the PS phase, resulting in poor compatibilization for the iPP/PS blend followed by the deterioration of mechanical properties.