Thermoplastic Elastomeric Blends of Nylon-6/Acrylate Rubber: Influence of Interaction on Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Properties

Abstract

Nylon-6 and acrylate rubber (ACM) were melt blended in a Brabender Plasticorder at 220 °C and 40 rpm rotor speed. The reactive nature of the blend is reflected in the mixing torque behavior of the blends at different compositions. The solubility characteristics of the blends in formic acid solution gives an approximate idea of the amount of nylon-6 grafted onto ACM and vice-versa. A reaction mechanism is proposed based on the well known epoxy—amine and epoxy—acid reactions and is confirmed by infrared spectroscopic studies of the blends. The influence of interaction between the two polymers on the mechanical and the dynamic mechanical properties of the blends is analyzed in detail, and the results are interpreted on the basis of the formation of nylon—ACM graft copolymer at the interfaces. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) reveals a two phase morphological structure, indicating incompatibility of the blend components. The grafting reaction results in dramatic increase in both the storage modulus and the Young's modulus of blends. The presence of grafted rubber chains is reflected in the secondary transition of the rubber loss peak at higher temperature. Also, a substantial improvement in the damping properties of the blends in the service temperature range (i.e., 25 to 175 °C) is revealed from the DMTA results. The dynamic vulcanization of the ACM phase during melt mixing improves the elongation at break values of the blends.

Effect of fillers and plasticizers on the performance of novel heat and oil-resistant thermoplastic elastomers from nylon-6 and acrylate rubber blends

“…Apart from the above two, a secondary rubber transition is also found at higher temperature side (in the region between 15-25°C), which is associated with the restricted relaxation of ACM chains grafted to the nylon-6 matrix. 9 As discussed earlier, during the melt-blending operation in Brabender Plasticorder in the temperature range of 220 -235°C, nylon-6 reacts with ACM to form graft copolymers at the interfacial region. The flexibility of the ACM rubber chains when grafted to the plastic matrix is believed to be greatly reduced relative to that of the chains in the bulk polymer, with the mobility increasing gradually with increasing distance from the boundary.…”

“…The very reactive nature of the blend components is evident from the figure, which is manifested in the rise of mixing torque after the initial softening period. It was concluded with the help of infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) 9 earlier that during meltblending operation in Brabender Plasticorder at the temperature range of 220 -235°C, nylon-6 and ACM chemically interact with each other. The amine and carboxyl acid end groups of nylon-6 react with the reactive epoxy groups (which are present as cure sites) of ACM to form high-molecular-weight graft copolymers, which increase the viscosity of the mixture and, hence, raise the mixing torque.…”

“…5, 6 Coran properties of novel heat and oil-resistant thermoplastic elastomers from the reactive blends of nylon-6 and acrylate rubber (ACM). 9 The influence of chemical interaction between the components on the mechanical, dynamic mechanical, rheological, and oil/fuel resistance of the blends have been discussed. 9 -11 In this article, the effect of various fillers and plasticizers on the ultimate properties of the above blends has been highlighted.…”

Influence of Engage® copolymer type on the properties of Engage®/silicone rubber-based thermoplastic dynamic vulcanizates

“…This is due to the existence of a high interfacial tension between the two polymers. Bhowmick et al [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] also reported various TPEs and TPVs. Recently Naskar et al [25][26][27][28][29][30] extensively studied the effect of various peroxides including multifunctional peroxides as crosslinking agents in PP/EPDM TPVs.…”

Preparation and characterization of nanocomposites based on thermoplastic elastomers from rubber–plastic blends

“…We have reported preparation and properties of a large number of thermoplastic elastomeric rubber-plastic blends. [27][28][29][30] In the present work, two different TPEs have been prepared from rubber-plastic blends. One of them has been made of completely saturated, nonpolar rubber and plastic viz.…”