Influence of rubber content in ABS in wide range on the mechanical properties and morphology of PC/ABS blends with different composition

A series of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) with different rubber content were prepared by diluting ABS grafting copolymer containing 60% rubber with a styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer. ABS prepared were blended with bisphenol‐A‐polycarbonate (PC) at the ratio of 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70 to prepare PC/ABS blends. Influence of rubber content in ABS on the properties of ABS and PC/ABS blends were investigated. PC/ABS blends with different compositions got good toughness when the rubber in ABS increased to the level that ABS itself got good toughness. The tensile properties and processability of PC/ABS blends decreased with the increase of the total rubber content introduced into the blends. ABS with the rubber content of 30 wt% is most suitable to be used to prepare PC/ABS blends. The rubber content in ABS affected the viscosity of ABS, and subsequently the viscosity ratio of PC to ABS. As a result, the morphology of PC/ABS blends varied. The increase of rubber content in ABS results in finer structure of PC/ABS blends. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 46:1476–1484, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Blends of bisphenol A polycarbonate and rubber‐toughened styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers

The morphology and mechanical properties of polycarbonate (PC) blends with rubber‐toughened styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer materials (TSMA) were investigated and compared with the properties of blends of PC with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) materials. The PC/TSMA blends showed similar composition dependence of properties as the comparable PC/ABS blends. Polycarbonate blends with TSMA exhibited higher notched Izod impact toughness than pure PC under sharp‐notched conditions but the improvements are somewhat less than observed for similar blends with ABS. Since PC is known for its impact toughness except under sharp‐notched conditions, this represents a significant advantage of the rubber‐modified blends. PC blends with styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA) were compared to those with a styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN). The trends in blend morphology and mechanical properties were found to be qualitatively similar for the two types of copolymers. PC/SMA blends are nearly transparent or slightly pearlescent. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1508–1515, 1999     

Co-continuous polycarbonate/ABS blends

Co-continuous PC/ABS (50/50) blends were studied with a variable polybutadiene (PB) content (0-40%) in ABS. Polycarbonate (PC), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) and PB were blended in two steps using a twin screw extruder. Rectangular bars were injection moulded and notched Izod impact tested at different temperatures and in single edge notch tensile tests at 1 m/s and different temperatures. Co-continuous PC/ABS gave a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature lower than expected based on notched Izod results for dispersed ABS in PC. The brittle-to-ductile transition temperature, in the co-continuous PC/ABS blends, decreased with increasing rubber content in SAN. The fracture energies showed an optimum at 15% PB in SAN while at the same time a delamination was seen on the ductile fracture surface, due to failure of the PC/SAN interface. Delamination disappeared when the rubber content in SAN or the temperature was increased. Specimens containing a welding were injection moulded to study the influence of rubber and AN content in the SAN on the interface. Weldline strength of the blends was very poor compared to PC, but improved with increasing rubber content in SAN.     

Mechanical properties of blends of polycarbonate with unmodified and maleic anhydride grafted ABS

Blends of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene terpolymer (PC/ABS) and polycarbonate/maleic anhydride grafted ABS (PC/MABS) were prepared over the whole range of compositions using a single-screw extruder. Tensile, flexural, notched Izod impact properties, and the heat deflection temperature of these blends were determined. Mechanical properties of PC/MABS blends are nearly equal to or higher than, those predicted by the rule of mixtures, whilst those of PC/ABS blends show nearly equal, or negative deviation, from the rule of mixtures. The notched impact strength of PC/MABS blends shows a positive blending effect and proportionate increase from 25wt% PC to 75wt% PC. Scanning electron micrographs were taken of etched surfaces of selective blends. © 1998 SCI.     

Toughness of SMI‐modified ABS alloys and the associated deformation behavior

The mechanical toughness of modified ABS (acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) alloys was evaluated using Izod impact, tensile, and compact tension tests. The modified ABS alloys contain 20 wt % of styrene–N‐phenylmaleimide (SMI) that is added to enhance the thermal resistance of the ABS. In this study, the effects of matrix composition, rubber/matrix adhesion, and rubber particle structure on the alloy toughness were investigated. Results from the tensile test and Izod impact test ranked the alloys in an order that is different from that given by K_Ii (stress intensity factor for crack initiation), measured from compact tension specimens. This is due to the difference in energy‐absorption characteristics for crack initiation and crack growth. The conclusion is supported by optical micrographs on the deformation zone size. The microdeformation behavior of the alloys was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed different rubber‐toughening mechanisms between Izod and tensile specimens. The former contains numerous extensive crazes, while the latter, only a very few short crazes, except in regions within a few micrometers from the fracture surface. The dominant matrix deformation mechanism for the tensile specimens is believed to be shear deformation. Another interesting observation from the study is rubber particle cavitation, commonly observed in tensile specimens and Izod specimens with solid rubber particles; it did not occur in the Izod specimens containing salami‐type rubber particles. This is attributed to the salami structure that increased the straining rate for the rubber phase, leading to ductile–brittle transition of the rubber. The transition to brittle deformation of the rubber phase prevented rubber particle cavitation. The microscopic examination indicated that toughening mechanisms by the rubber particles can be very different among the mechanical tests, which should be taken into account for the rubber toughening of polymers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 1543–1553, 1999     

Influence of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) morphology and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) content on fracture behavior of ABS/SAN blends

This study attempted to correlate morphological changes and physical properties for a high rubber content acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) and its diluted blends with a poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) copolymer. The results showed a close relationship between rubber content and fracture toughness for the blends. The change of morphology in ABS/SAN blends explains in part some deviations in fracture behavior observed in ductile–brittle transition temperature shifts. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2606–2611, 2004     

Effect of Rubber Content of ABS on Properties of PC/ABS Blends. I. Rheological,Mechanical, and Thermal Properties

ABSTRACT

The effect of rubber content of poly (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) (ABS) on compatibility and properties of polycarbonate (PC)/ABS blend systems has been investigated. The rheological, mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of PC/ABS blend systems containing ABS of different rubber content were studied. The reduced torque data on Torque Rheocord indicated improved processability of PC by addition of ABS, however, in ABS-rich compositions, higher rubber content reduces the extent of improvement. The tensile strength of PC decreased with addition of ABS to it but PC-rich compositions have a nearly additive response. The deviation form additivity for blends having higher rubber ABS was more pronounced. However, the impact strength of blends having higher rubber ABS were higher than other types and showed a positive deviation from additivity with variation in compositions. The blends containing ABS with lower rubber content showed a single glass-transition temperature (Tg) in differential scanning calorimetry studies (DSC) in the whole composition range indicating miscibility. Although two Tgs, one associated with PC phase and one with ABS phase, were observed for blends containing high rubber ABS, the shift in Tgs with respect to pure component values indicates partial miscibility. The decrease in the extent of shift with increase of ABS in these blends indicates undesirable phase separation due to poor adhesion of higher level of rubber content.     

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

A series of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) copolymer/poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/acrylonitrile‐styrene‐glycidyl methacrylate (ASG) blends with various compositions were prepared and characterized in this study. When the fraction of ABS exceeds a critical value there is a rapid increase in notched impact strength of ABS/PBT blends no matter whether the compatibilizer ASG is present. By combining morphology observation and notched impact results, we found that the ductile‐brittle transition of the blends is closely related to the morphology inversion. The notched impact strength jumps from 15.9 to 33.4 kJ/m² when phase inversion of ABS occurs at its fraction of 58 wt %. Accordingly, a possible toughening mechanism involved in the blends is proposed on the basis of a careful analysis of fracture energy, crack propagation behavior and fracture surface morphology. It is believed that the continuous ABS phase plays the critical role in toughening ABS/PBT blends. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46051.     

Mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene under Izod impact test and uniaxial tension at various strain rates

Two polybutadiene‐graft‐acrylonitrile‐styrene copolymer (PBD‐g‐SAN) impact modifiers with different rubber particle size were synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization. Acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) blends with a constant rubber concentration of 15 wt% were prepared by blending those impact modifiers and SAN resin. The major focus was the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of ABS blends under Izod impact test and uniaxial tension at various strain rates from 2.564 × 10^?4 S^?1 upto 1.282 × 10^?1 S^?1. By the combination of transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope, it was concluded that crazes and cavitation coexisted in ABS blends. The deformation mechanisms of ABS blend containing large rubber particles was rubber particles cavitation and shear yielding in the matrix including crazes, and they do not change with the strain rate. Different from ABS blend with large rubber particles, deformation mechanism of ABS with small rubber particles under tensile condition was only involved in shear yielding in the matrix and no crazes were formed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Thermal aging of bisphenol-A polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene blends

Thermal aging of immiscible bisphenol-A polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (PC/ABS) blends containing 25, 60, and 75% PC and the PC and ABS blend components have been studied. Changes in Izod impact properties and dynamic mechanical spectra are reported following aging at 90, 110, and 130°C for times up to 1500 h. PC/ABS blends containing 60 and 75% PC were found to retain high impact performance following aging at elevated temperatures, compared to the PC blend component. Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy is an effective probe for investigating the structure–property changes occurring and the mechanisms of aging. For PC and ABS, the changes were mainly due to physical aging of the amorphous polymers when aged below the glass-transition temperature. For the PC/ABS blends, oxidative degradation additionally contributes to loss of toughness. Although structure–property changes are related to the behavior of the blend components, additional factors of potential importance for multiphase polymer–polymer systems have been identified, including a redistribution of stabilizers during the blend manufacture. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The influence of viscosity and composition of ABS on the ABS/SBS blend morphology and properties

Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) shows excellent impact resistance and good stiffness. The incorporation of thermoplastic elastomer into ABS may consist in an interesting approach to further improve the toughness of ABS, in addition to tuning its compatibility with reinforcements. Blends of ABS and styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) were obtained by extrusion from different types of ABS with different SBS contents. The results showed that morphology and mechanical behavior of ABS/SBS blends depend strongly on the composition and characteristics of ABS matrix. An increase in elongation at break and slight decrease in modulus could be observed by increasing SBS content. ABS/SBS blend possessing good dispersion of rubber particles with sizes ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 μm of rubber particles exhibited the better performance of the impact resistance, whereas blends showing a predominance of relatively large particles resulted on poorer mechanical properties. These results suggest that viscosity and composition of ABS matrix play a significant role on the dispersion and coalescence of the dispersed phase during mixing. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47075.     

Synthesis and characterization of ABS resin using in situ transferring from emulsion to suspension polymerization

A novel approach based on an emulsion in situ suspension polymerization process for synthesizing poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS) resin is reported. Experimental results show that the reaction system can be transformed from an emulsion state to a suspension polymerization state steadily with the content of polybutadiene (PB) in the range 0–15 wt% in ABS resin. When PB is replaced by poly(styrene‐co‐butadiene) with the content of rubber particles being kept below 20 wt%, the emulsion system can be easily transferred to the suspension polymerization state through a process of latex coagulation in the forward direction, which means that the emulsion solution was dripped slowly into the suspension reaction system in the presence of coagulating agent. The dispersion status of the rubber particles in the ABS resin was studied using transmission electron microscopy, which indicated that the rubber particles were in a dispersed state in a continuous matrix of poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) when the content of rubber particles was below 20 wt%. The mechanical properties of the ABS resins obtained are as follows: elongation at break, 9.4–45.7%; yield tensile strength, 35.1–42.2 MPa; impact strength, 98.2–116.3 J m^?1. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of compatibilizer in acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene toughened nylon 6 blends: Ductile–brittle transition temperature

The ductile–brittle transition temperatures were determined for compatibilized nylon 6/acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (PA6/ABS) copolymer blends. The compatibilizers used for those blends were methyl methacrylate‐co‐maleic anhydride (MMA‐MAH) and MMA‐co‐glycidyl methacrylate (MMA‐GMA). The ductile–brittle transition temperatures were found to be lower for blends compatibilized through maleate modified acrylic polymers. At room temperature, the PA6/ABS binary blend was essentially brittle whereas the ternary blends with MMA‐MAH compatibilizer were supertough and showed a ductile–brittle transition temperature at ?10°C. The blends compatibilized with maleated copolymer exhibited impact strengths of up to 800 J/m. However, the blends compatibilized with MMA‐GMA showed poor toughness at room temperature and failed in a brittle manner at subambient temperatures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2643–2647, 2003     

Effect of matrix SAN in ABS/PMMA blends

The effect of the molecular weight and acrylonitrile (AN) content of the styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) on the morphology, mechanical properties, and rheological properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene terpolymer/poly(methyl methacrylate) (ABS)/PMMA (60/40 by weight) blends were studied. When the AN content of matrix SAN (32%) was close to that of graft SAN (30%) AN, rubber particles existed separately. However, with matrix SAN having 35% AN, rubber particles showed tendency to agglomerate each other. With increasing molecular weight of matrix SAN, impact strength, ultimate elongation, and abrasion resistance of the blend generally increased. Yield strength increased with molecular weight at a constant AN content of matrix SAN, and it decreased with the decrease of AN content in spite of the increasing molecular weight of SAN. Melt properties, rather than the morphological and mechanical properties, were more sensitive to the AN content, rather than the molecular weight of matrix SAN. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Boiling water aging of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene resin and polycarbonate/low‐density polyester blends

The effects of boiling water on the mechanical and thermal properties and morphologies of polycarbonate (PC), PC/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene resin (PC/ABS), and PC/low‐density polyester (PC/LDPE) blends (compositions of PC/ABS and PC/LDPE blends were 80/20) were studied. PC and the PC/ABS blend had a transition from ductile to brittle materials after boiling water aging. The PC/LDPE blend was more resistant to boiling water aging than PC and the PC/ABS blend. The thermal properties of glass‐transition temperature (T_g) and melting temperature (T_m) in PC and the blends were measured by DSC. The T_g of PC and PC in the PC/ABS and PC/LDPE blends decreased after aging. The T_g of the ABS component in the PC/ABS blend did not change after aging. The supersaturated water in PC clustered around impurities or air bubbles leading to the formation of microcracks, which was the primary reason for the ductile–brittle transition in PC, and the microcracks could not recover after PC was treated at 160°C for 6 h. The PC/ABS blend showed slightly higher resistance to boiling water than did PC. The highest resistance to boiling water of the PC/LDPE blend may be attributed to its special structural morphology. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 589–595, 2003     

Recycling of ABS and ABS/PC blends

The aim of this work within the framework of mechanical recycling of polymers is upgrading recycled engineering plastics by means of a blending technique. Four different plastics from dismantled Volvo cars have been investigated. They are poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS) and ABS‐polycarbonate (ABS/PC) as major components and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyamide (PA) as minor components. Blending recycled ABS and PC/ABS (70/30) with a small amount of methyl methacrylate‐butadiene‐styrene core‐shell impact modifiers gives the mixture better impact properties than any of its individual components. Some 10% of PMMA from tail light housings can follow the PC/ABS blends made. The property profile will rather be improved. However, PA is an incompatible component that should be sorted out from the mixture. Antioxidants and metal deactivators do not help the recyclates show better mechanical properties. Two toughness measurements, Charpy impact strength and J‐integral method, show complimentary results for such blends. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 510–515, 1999     

橡胶粒子粒径对ABS树脂结构与性能的影响

采用乳液技术在聚丁二烯(PB)和丁苯橡胶(SBR)乳胶粒子上接枝共聚苯乙烯和丙烯腈合成了PB质量分数为60％的ABS接枝粉料,将其与苯乙烯-丙烯腈共聚物(SAN树脂)熔融共混获得了一系列不同组成和结构的丙烯腈-丁二烯-苯乙烯共聚物(ABS树脂),研究了橡胶粒子粒径对ABS树脂的形态结构、力学性能的影响.结果表明,PB和SBR橡胶粒子的粒径分别为0.3μm和0.05 μm左右时,橡胶粒子的粒径对ABS树脂力学性能的影响十分显著.单独采用小拉径SBR橡胶粒子不能有效地增韧SAN树脂,而大粒径PB橡胶粒子对SAN树脂具有良好的增韧效果.     

Improvement of impact strength and hydrolytic stability of PC/ABS blend using reactive polymer

Polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (PC/ABS) blends have been used widely for specific applications such as in automotive interior and exterior parts, and for office automation equipment parts. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a reactive polymer as a modifier on properties such as the impact strength of PC/ABS blends. A reaction between PC and maleic anhydride group cannot usually be expected because the end hydroxyl group of PC is capped with an end‐capping agent such as t‐butylphenol to improve PC properties such as fluidity, thermal resistance, and impact strength. However, a reactive polymer that has a maleic anhydride group reacts with the end hydroxyl group of PC hydrolyzed with metal salts. Results show that PC/ABS with a reactive polymer exhibits improved impact strength. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44550.     

Effects of ABS‐g‐MAH on mechanical properties and compatibility of ABS/PC alloy

The effects of a compatibilizer, namely, an acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymer (ABS) grafted with maleic anhydrade (MAH) (ABS‐g‐MAH), on the mechanical properties and morphology of an ABS/polycarbonate (PC) alloy were studied The results showed that a small quantity of ABS‐g‐MAH has a very good influence on the notched Izod impact strength of the ABS/PC alloy without compromising other properties such as the tensile strength, flexural strength, and Vicat softening temperature (VST). The impact strength of the ABS/PC alloy, to a great extent, depends on the loading of ABS‐g‐MAH and the degree of grafting (DG) of MAH in the ABS‐g‐MAH. DSC analysis and SEM observation confirmed that ABS‐g‐MAH could significantly improve the compatibility of the ABS/PC alloy. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 831–836, 2001     

Compatibility enhancement of ABS/polycarbonate blends

The effects of blend composition, melt viscosity of poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS), and compatibilizing effect of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) on mechanical properties of ABS/polycarbonate (PC) blends at ABS-rich compositions were studied. As the content of PC was increased, impact strength and Vicat softening temperature (VST) were increased. As the melt viscosity of ABS was increased near to that of PC, finer distribution of dispersed PC phase and consequent enhanced impact strength and VST were observed. The compatibilizing effect of PMMA can be ascer-tained from the enhanced properties of ¼-inch notch impact strength, VST, tensilestrength, and the morphology observed by a scanning electron microscope. The improved adhesion of the ABS/PC interface by PMMA changed the fracture mechanism and reduced the notch sensitivity of blends. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 533–542, 1998