Development of phase morphology in immiscible poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)/poly(butylene terephthalate) nanoblends: Mechanical properties and effect of the compatibilizer

Abstract

Nanoblends were obtained from poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) as a matrix, and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was used as a nanodispersed phase. Compatibilized SAN/PBT blends were prepared by reactive extrusion, and the PBT concentrations ranged between 3 and 30 wt %. Nanoblends were obtained for up to 10 wt % PBT concentrations in the presence of the compatibilizer. With 20 and 30 wt % PBT, the extruded material presented a droplet dispersed phase. The same blends were subjected to an injection‐molding process, which provided a cocontinuous phase morphology. The influence of the concentration of the dispersed phase and the type of morphology on the mechanical behavior of tensile test, flexural test, impact test, and deflection temperature of the blends was analyzed. The results show an important reduction in the particle size of the dispersed phase, which was due to the presence of the compatibilizer. Furthermore, the type of morphology and an excess of compatibilizer exerted a stronger influence on the mechanical properties than the particle size of the dispersed phase. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45030.

Toughness of ABS/PBT blends: The relationship between composition, morphology, and fracture behavior

“…investigated the effect of grafting degree, acrylonitrile content and core–shell ratio of ABS on morphology and impact strength of PBT/ABS(70/30) blends. The phase agglomeration occurred in PBT/ABS(70/30) blends when the core–shell ratio of ABS was higher than 60/40 or lower than 50/50, and therefore resulted in ductile‐brittle transition of PBT/ABS blends . Sun et al .…”

“…Recently, the studies devoted to the morphology of immiscible blends have drawn lots of attentions, such as morphology control of immiscible polymer phase or effective conductive network built‐up via co‐continuous structure . The mechanical properties and brittle‐ductile transition related to the morphology of PBT/ABS or PBT/SAN have also been reported . Costa et al .…”

Weathering properties and hydrolysis of poly(butylene terephthalate)/poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐styrene‐co‐acrylate) blend with reactive compatibilizer

“…10 Those copolymers react to polymer chain-end and tend to strengthen the interfacial adhesion and stabilize the morphology of the polymer blend. [11][12][13][14][15][16] Among the reactive compatibilizers, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) is one of the most widely used functional groups. [17][18][19][20] The epoxy group in the GMA reacts effectively with carboxylic acid or hydroxyl group.…”

“…Reactive copolymers containing one or more reactive functional groups are well known as reactive compatibilizers . Those copolymers react to polymer chain‐end and tend to strengthen the interfacial adhesion and stabilize the morphology of the polymer blend …”