Morphological properties, rheological behaviors, and phase interaction of nylon 11/polypropylene blends by in situ reactive compatibilization and dispersion through polyhydroxybutyrate

Abstract

The current research discusses the reactive compatibilization of nylon 11 (PA11) and polypropylene (PP) using maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP-g-MA) through an extruder. PP phase is dispersed in PA11 by coalescence and droplet break-up mechanism by using polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as a dispersion agent that induces uniform interaction between the blend components. The reactive compatibilization ensures the mixing of polymers, and the consistent interaction of phases is controlled by dispersion. All of the blends were processed through melt processing at different compositions using a twinscrew extruder. Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the morphologies of the binary and ternary blends. Surface tension and interfacial tension of the homopolymer characterizes the interaction of the polymers at interphase. The interaction of PHB/PA11 appeared preferable than that of PHB/PP, elaborating on the efficient dispersion and droplet formation of the PP phase. The compatibilizer maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP-g-MA) imparts a drastic effect on the compatibility of PA11-PP and PA11-PHB-PP blends and reduces PP phase particle size, which indicates the affinity of PHB and PP. The encapsulation of PP by PHB was seen in the expectation of minimum free energy models. The rheological measurements were used to understand the phase separation within blends. These measurements were also applied to understand the interaction between PA11-PP-PHB phases. The modulus values and viscosity ratio of the blends were measured to follow the chain relaxation in the melt. In the Cole-Cole plot, it was found that the reduction in PP phase size influences the relaxation of chains of blends.

Application of Physical Methods for the Detection of a Thermally Degraded Recycled Material in Plastic Parts Made of Polypropylene Copolymer

“…The increase in values is logical in this case, because the degradation of the material means cleavage and shortening of the macromolecular chains, which results in an increase in the material’s fluidity. This behavior was in agreement with data observed by Gadgeel et al [ 22 ] and Chen et al [ 23 ].…”

Molecular dynamics simulation of the 3–15alkyphenol compatibilizer in highly toughened and robust polyamide 10,12/MWCNT composites

“…In order to endow PA10,12 with high impact strength, attempts have been made to exploit methods to toughen nylons, e.g. classical copolymerization, 6 polymer blending, [7][8][9] novel core-shell structure development 2,10 and plasticizing. 11,12 Zhao et al 13 reported that a brittle to ductile transition occurred when 15 wt% rubber was used in a rubber-modified nylon system.…”