The linear viscoelastic behaviors of Nylon1212 blends toughened with elastomer

The linear viscoelastic behaviors of nylon1212 blends toughened with (styrene‐[ethylene‐(ethylene‐propylene)]‐styrene block copolymer) (SEEPS) elastomer were carried out. The results show that dynamic storage modulus (G′) curves of the blends are located between those of virgin nylon and SEEPS within the frequency (ω) tested, and the G′ of blends increases with increasing of the SEEPS content. Moreover, the predictive results of Palierne emulsion model show that it is unsuitable for describing the viscoelastic behaviors of the double phase systems toughened with elastomer, especially for the system with high content of elastomer. The positive deviation in the plots of G′ vs. blend composition demonstrates that the blends are immiscible. From the point of phase transition, the phase inversion region for these blends was predicted to be in the range of 30–50 wt % of SEEPS, which agrees with the morphology analysis of nylon1212/SEEPS blends. In addition, “Cole–Cole” plots of modulus at different temperatures show that the microstructures of blends are unstable in the phase transition region. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Melt rheology and properties of compatibilized recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/(styrene‐ethylene‐ethylene‐propylene‐styrene) block copolymer blends

Blends of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R‐PET) and (styrene‐ethylene‐ethylene‐propylene‐styrene) block copolymer (SEEPS) compatibilized with (maleic anhydride)‐grafted‐styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene (SEBS‐g‐MAH) were prepared by melt blending. The compatibilizing effects of SEBS‐g‐MAH were investigated systematically by study of the morphology, linear viscoelastic behavior, and thermal and mechanical properties of the blends. The results show that there is good agreement between the results obtained by rheological measurement and morphological analysis. The rheological test shows that the melt elasticity and melt strength of the blends increase with the addition of SEBS‐g‐MAH. The Cole‐Cole plots and van Gurp‐Palmen plots confirm the compatibilizing effect of SEBS‐g‐MAH. However, the Palierne model fails to predict the linear viscoelastic properties of the blends. The morphology observation shows that all blends exhibit a droplet‐matrix morphology. In addition, the SEEPS particle size in the (R‐PET)/SEEPS blends is significantly decreased and dispersed uniformly by the addition of SEBS‐g‐MAH. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis shows that the crystallization behavior of R‐PET is restricted by the incorporation of SEEPS, whereas the addition of SEBS‐g‐MAH improves the crystallization behavior of R‐PET compared with that of uncompatibilized (R‐PET)/SEEPS blends. The Charpy impact strength of the blends shows the highest value at SEBS‐g‐MAH content of 10%, which is about 210% higher than that of pure R‐PET. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 22:342–349, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fabrication of polypropylene blends with excellent low‐temperature toughness and balanced toughness‐rigidity by a combination of EPR and SEEPS

To overcome serious rigidity depression of rubber‐toughened plastics and fabricate a rigidity‐toughness balanced thermoplastic, a combination of styrene‐[ethylene‐(ethylene‐propylene)]‐styrene block copolymer (SEEPS) and ethylene‐propylene rubber (EPR) was used to toughen polypropylene. The dynamic mechanical properties, crystallization and melting behavior, and mechanical properties of polypropylene (PP)/EPR/SEEPS blends were studied in detail. The results show that the combination of SEEPS and EPR can achieve the tremendous improvement of low‐temperature toughness without significant strength and rigidity loss. Dynamic mechanical properties and phase morphology results demonstrate that there is a good interfacial strength and increased loss of compound rubber phase comprised of EPR component and EP domain of SEEPS. Compared with PP/EPR binary blends, although neither glass transition temperature (T_g) of the rubber phase nor T_g of PP matrix in PP/EPR/SEEPS blends decreases, the brittle‐tough transition temperature (T_bd) of PP/EPR/SEEPS blends decreases, indicating that the increased interfacial interaction between PP matrix and compound rubber phase is also an effective approach to decrease T_bd of the blends so as to improve low‐temperature toughness. The balance between rigidity and toughness of PP/EPR/SEEPS blends is ascribed to the synergistic effect of EPR and SEEPS on toughening PP. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45714.     

Morphology of nylon 1212 toughened with a maleated EPDM rubber

BACKGROUND: Polyamides, or nylons, are an attractive class of engineering polymers due to their excellent strength and stiffness, low friction and chemical and wear resistance. However, they are highly notch‐sensitive, i.e. they are often ductile in the un‐notched state, but fail in a brittle manner when notched. A super‐tough nylon 1212 was prepared by blending nylon 1212 with ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) grafted with maleic anhydride (MA). The morphologies of Izod impact fracture surfaces as well as xylene‐etched surfaces of the nylon were thoroughly investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: The fracture morphology and the impact strength of the nylon 1212 blends are very well correlated. The impact fracture surface of the blends exhibits certain characteristic features, such as the observation of fiber‐like sticks when etched with boiling xylene, formed during the impact fracture process. SEM images of xylene‐etched surfaces as well as the results of X‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy suggest that the successful toughening of nylon 1212 with EPDM‐graft‐MA is due to the reaction between the anhydride of EPDM‐graft‐MA and the amine end‐groups of nylon 1212, leading to the formation of a homogenous graft copolymer system. CONCLUSION: The copolymer system, acting as a surfactant, reduces the interfacial tension between nylon 1212 and EPDM‐graft‐MA and produces a highly compatible super‐tough nylon 1212. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Viscoelastic properties of reactive and non‐reactive blends of ethylene‐methyl acrylate copolymers with styrene‐maleic anhydride copolymer

The effects of compatibilizing reactions on the viscoelastic properties and morphology of ethylene‐methyl acrylate copolymers were studied. Potentially reactive blends of styrene‐maleic anhydride copolymer (SMAH) and a terpolymer of ethylene/methyl acrylate/glycidyl methacrylate (E‐MA‐GMA) were compared with a non‐reactive blend of SMAH and an ethylene/methyl acrylate (E‐MA) copolymer with similar rheological properties. Melt mixing was carried out in a batch mixer and in a co‐rotating twin screw extruder. The morphology of the reactive blends showed smaller domain sizes than the non‐reactive blends, and the viscoelastic properties of the blends were very different. The storage and loss moduli and the complex viscosity of the reactive blends were greater than those of non‐reactive blends. The reactive blends had a higher zero shear viscosity, plateau modulus and mean relaxation time than their non‐reactive counterparts, indicating a higher degree of melt elasticity. The melt elasticity was maximum at 25% functionalized ethylene‐methyl acrylate concentration.     

Effects of maleated styrene–(ethylene‐co‐butene)–styrene on compatibilization and properties of nylon‐12,12/nylon‐6 blends

Effects of a maleated triblock copolymer of styrene–(ethylene‐co‐butene)–styrene (SEBS‐g‐MA) on compatibilization and mechanical properties of nylon‐12,12/nylon‐6 blends were investigated. The results showed that addition of SEBS‐g‐MA could improve the compatibility between nylon‐12,12 and nylon‐6. Nylon‐12,12 could disperse very well in nylon‐6 matrix, although the dispersion of nylon‐6 was poor when nylon‐6 was the dispersed phase. At a fixed nylon‐12,12/nylon‐6 ratio of 30/70, supertoughness was achieved with addition of 15% SEBS‐g‐MA in weight. Scanning electron microscopy of the impact‐fractured surface indicated that cavitation and matrix shear yielding were the predominant mechanisms of impact energy dissipation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1446–1453, 2004     

Nonlinear stress relaxation of silica filled solution‐polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber compounds

The stress relaxation of silica (SiO₂) filled solution‐polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber (SSBR) has been investigated at shear strains located in the nonlinear viscoelastic regions. When the characteristic separability times are exceeded, the nonlinear shear relaxation modulus can be factorized into separate strain‐ and time‐dependent functions. Moreover, the shear strain dependence of the damping function becomes strong with an increase in the SiO₂ volume fraction. On the other hand, a strain amplification factor related to nondeformable SiO₂ particles can be applied to account for the local strain of the rubbery matrix. Furthermore, it is believed that the damping function is a function of the localized deformation of the rubbery matrix independent of the SiO₂ content. The fact that the time–strain separability holds for both the unfilled SSBR and the filled compound indicates that the nonlinear relaxation is dominated by the rubbery matrix, and this implies that the presence of the particles can hardly qualitatively modify the dynamics of the polymer. It is thought that the filler–rubber interaction induces a coexistence of the filler network with the entanglement network of the rubbery phase, both being responsible for the nonlinear relaxation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Supercritical CO2 assisted processing of polystyrene/nylon 1212 blends and CO2‐induced epitaxy on nylon 1212

Polystyrene/nylon 1212 blends were prepared with supercritical CO₂ as the substrate swelling agent and monomer/initiator carrier. Original nylon 1212 and blends were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing microscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A novel phenomenon, CO₂‐induced epitaxy, was discovered, and its mechanism was deduced. Thermal analysis performed with DSC indicated that the polystyrene/nylon 1212 blends had thermal stability superior to that of virgin nylon 1212. The DSC and SEM measurements indicated that incorporated polystyrene could notably improve the mechanical performance of nylon 1212. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2023–2029, 2004     

Study of rheological property of nylon‐1212 with Haake Rheometer

Rheological properties of nylon‐1212 have been studied by means of Haake Rheometer. The effect of shear rate and temperature on the apparent vicosity of nylon‐1212 was discussed. A correlation of non‐Newtonian index with the temperature was obtained. The results showed that the apparent viscosity decreases with the increase of the temperature. With increasing shear rate, shear thinning of nylon‐1212 was observed clearly. From the relation of the temperature dependence of the polymer, we obtained the viscous flow activation energy. We conclude that the apparent viscosity is sensitive to temperature at lower shear stress because of higher viscous flow activation energy, and the temperature affect on the apparent viscosity becomes weaker at higher shear stress because of lower viscous flow activation energy. We have investigated the creep and elastic recovery of nylon‐1212. A creep test was carried out to define the linear viscoelastic range as 1.0 and 5.0 Pa for 195 and 190°C nylon‐1212 melts, respectively. A time‐dependent response was found for the creep and recovery phases at a lower applied shear stress. However, at higher shear stress, the creep and recovery phases were time‐independent. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 379–385, 2003     

Stress relaxation behavior of polyacetal–thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer blends

The yield stress of polyacetal (POM) decreases monotonically with the incorporation of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer in POM/TPU blends as would be anticipated. However, the impact strength of the resultant POM/TPU blends increases initially up to 30% TPU and thereafter decreases with the addition of TPU. Stress relaxation measurements in simple extension were carried out for POM and its blends with 10, 20, and 30% TPU at a constant temperature (30°C). Rate of loss of the relaxation modulus was found to be a nonlinear function of time. It has been demonstrated that the stress relaxation modulus values measured at different strains can be superimposed by a shift along the logarithmic time axis to yield master curves of modulus over an extended time period. It has also been found that while it is possible to determine, at any strain, relaxation curves covering an appreciable time range, the demarcation of linear and nonlinear behavior ranges of stress could not be done for these materials as all the strain values chosen in our experiments were in the region of linear behavior. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effects of maleated styrene–(ethylene‐co‐butene)–styrene on the morphology and mechanical and thermal properties of polystyrene/polyamide 1212 blends

Polystyrene (PS)/polyamide 1212 (PA 1212) blends were compatibilized with a maleated triblock copolymer of styrene–(ethylene‐co‐butene)–styrene (SEBS‐g‐MA). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the addition of SEBS‐g‐MA was beneficial to the dispersion of PA 1212 in the PS matrix because of the reaction between them. The variation of the fraction of SEBS‐g‐MA in the blends allowed the manipulation of the phase structure, which first formed a sheetlike structure and then formed a cocontinuous phase containing PA 1212/SEBS‐g‐MA core–shell morphologies. As a result, the mechanical properties, especially the Charpy notched impact resistance, were significantly improved with the addition of SEBS‐g‐MA. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data indicated that the strong interaction between SEBS‐g‐MA and PA 1212 in the blends retarded the crystallization of PA 1212. The heat distortion temperature of the compatibilized blends was improved in comparison with that of the unmodified blend, probably because of the apparent increase in the glass‐transition temperature with an increasing concentration of SEBS‐g‐MA. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1354–1360, 2005     

Augmenting the performance of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene plastics for low‐noise dynamic applications

The main objective of this study was to enhance the performance of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) plastics for dynamic structural applications, including those of automobile relevance. First, ABS was modified by blending with maleic anhydride grafted styrene–ethylene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer (MA‐g‐SEBS) in various proportions. Squeaking noise characteristics were evaluated by measurement of the frictional behavior in an in‐house fabricated friction testing apparatus, and the results are explained on the basis of the change in surface energy upon modification. Detailed dynamic mechanical analyses (strain, frequency, and temperature sweep) revealed significant improvements in the damping characteristics of the modified ABS, especially that modified with 10 wt % MA‐g‐SEBS, without much sacrifice in its mechanical strength. The modulus values predicted with Kerner's model of the blends were well correlated with the morphological changes upon modification. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Memory functions in polymer modified asphalts

The viscoelastic nonlinear behavior of several base and polymer modified asphalts (PMA) has been studied in step‐strain experiments. The polymers were poly(styrene‐b‐butadiene‐b‐styrene), poly(styrene‐b‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐b‐styrene), poly(ethylene‐r‐vinylacetate) copolymers, and a linear low density poly(ethylene), which were chosen as representatives of the main categories of asphalt modifiers. Because of the complexity of the morphological structure of these materials, the relaxation modulus has only partial and qualitative similarities with that of melt or high concentrated solutions of entangled polymeric liquids. No time strain separability can be applied, and the relaxation experiments are conveniently described by means of the memory functions. These have been calculated both via a parametric fitting procedure and by interpolation algorithms. Results are presented, and a correlation between the PMA structure and the corresponding memory function is proposed for the investigated materials. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2330–2340, 2007     

Effect of interfacial enhancing on morphology,mechanical, and rheological properties of polypropylene‐ground tire rubber powder blends

In this work, polypropylene (PP)‐ground tire rubber (GTR) blends are prepared by means of melt‐extrusion process using a co‐rotating twin screw extruder. The influences of types of compatibilizers and crosslinkers on the interfacial interaction state, mechanical and rheological properties of PP‐GTR blends are investigated systematically. Particularly, quantitative nano mechanic technique of atom force microscope was employed to examine the change in thickness of the interfacial transition layer between PP and GTR phase with variety of compatibilizer and crosslinker types. Results indicated that styrene‐b‐poly(ethylene‐ethylene/propylene)‐b‐polystyrene (SEEPS) and peroxide are optimal compatibilizer and crosslinker for interfacial interaction enhancement, respectively. The resultant PP‐GTR blend possesses tensile strength of 14.5 MPa, elongation at break of 307%, and permanent set of 16%. It was expected that reaction activities of the crosslinker with GTR and SEEPS would have a significant influence on the agglomeration of GTR particles and the interaction between PP and GTR phase. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45354.     

Impact strength and elongation‐to‐break of compatibilized ternary blends of polypropylene,nylon 66, and polystyrene

The Izod impact strength and tensile elongation‐to‐break were measured for blends of nylon 66 and polystyrene in a polypropylene matrix with and without compatibilization by an ionomer resin (for nylon 66) and a styrene‐block‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐block‐styrene copolymer (for polystyrene). With 20% nylon 66 and 20% polystyrene, about 5% of each compatibilizer was optimal. When used together for the ternary blend, there seemed to be little gross interference (or synergism) between the compatibilizers. A comparison between binary blends suggests that what interaction does exists may be synergistic. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1800–1809, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Effect of maleic anhydride graft ratio on mechanical properties and morphology on nylon 11/ethylene‐octene copolymer blends

Mechanical properties and morphologies of nylon 11/ethylene‐octene copolymer blends have been investigated. The ethylene‐octene copolymer (POE) employed in this study was grafted with maleic anhydride (MAH) and thus has the potential to react with the amine group of nylon 11. Nylon 11/POE‐g‐MAH and nylon 11/POE/POE‐g‐MAH blends with varying MAH graft ratios were prepared. In this paper, the effect of MAH graft ratio on ductile‐brittle transition temperature (DBTT), mechanical properties, and morphology of blends was studied. The results showed that incorporation of POE‐g‐MAH could remarkably improve the compatibility between the nylon and POE elastomers, thus increasing the toughness of the resultant blends. The compatibilizing effect on impact strength became more pronounced with increasing MAH graft ration. DBTTs of blends were initially lowered dramatically with the increasing maleic anhydride graft ratio, but over 0.56% MAH content, DBTTs of blends did not drop further, while tensile strength and tensile modulus dropped slightly because of the decreased glass transition temperature (Tg) of nylon 11/POE blends, resulting from the increased compatibility between the two phases. The role of MAH graft ratio on the POE particle size and dispersion of POE on nylon 11 matrix was also studied.     

A study of the effect of PP‐g‐MA and SEBS‐g‐MA on the mechanical and morphological properties of polypropylene/nylon 6 blends

The mechanical and morphological properties of polypropylene/nylon 6 blends compatibilized with PP grafted with maleic anhydride (PP‐g‐MA) and styrene/ethene‐co‐butene/styrene grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS‐g‐MA) are studied using a special version of a factorial design known as extreme vertices. Properties examined include yield stress, modulus, elongation, toughness, impact strength and morphology. Comparisons are made between various treatment combinations (i.e. a variety of blends) and polypropylene homopolymer using various statistical methods including analysis of variance (ANOVA). Scheffe's Test and Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Significant differences were found for yield stress, modulus, elongation, toughness and impact strength for specific treatment combinations versus PP as well as on average. Ternary diagrams are used to plot response surfaces of the measured data illustrating the main effects and interactions involved, while allowing correlations to be made with blend morphology. Indications from test results and analysis of response surfaces show a strong relationship between nylon/compatibilizer ratio and mechanical properties.     

Rheology of EPR/PP blends

The rheological behavior of polypropylene, PP, ethylene‐propylene copolymer, EPR, and EPR/PP blends was studied. Zero‐shear viscosity and elastic relaxation time were determined by least‐squares fits by using a Carreau–Yasuda model with Arrhenius temperature dependency. The effect of PP and EPR molecular weight, ethylene ratio in EPR copolymer (E/EPR), and EPR concentration on the zero‐shear viscosity and elasticity of EPR/PP blends was determined experimentally. Molecular weight effects are compared to theoretically expected relationships. EPR concentration effect and E/EPR ratio effects agree well with predictions made by using the Tsenoglou model. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2113–2127, 2001     

Thermotropic liquid‐crystalline copolyester/thermoplastic elastomer in situ composites. I. Rheology,morphology, and mechanical properties of extruded strands

A thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer (TLCP), a copolyester with a 60/40 molar ratio of p‐hydroxy benzoic acid and poly(ethylene terephthalate), was blended with a styrene/ethylene butylene/styrene thermoplastic elastomer with a twin‐screw extruder. The rheological behavior, morphology, and mechanical properties of the extruded strands of the blends were investigated. The rheological measurements were performed on a capillary rheometer in the shear rate range of 5–2000 s^?1 and on a plate‐and‐plate rheometer in the frequency range of 0.6–200 rad s^?1. All the neat components and blends exhibited shear thinning behavior. Both the shear and complex viscosities of all the blends decreased with increasing TLCP contents, but the decrease in the shear viscosity was more pronounced. The best fibrillar morphology was observed in the extruded strands of a blend containing 30 wt % TLCP, and a lamellar structure started to form at 40 wt % TLCP. With an increasing concentration of TLCP, the tensile modulus of the blends was greatly enhanced, whereas the tensile strength was almost unchanged. The elongation at break of the blends first slightly decreased with the addition of TLCP and then sharply dropped at 40 wt % TLCP. The tension set measured at 200% deformation slightly increased with increasing TLCP contents up to 30 wt %, over which the set value was unacceptable for a thermoplastic elastomer. A remarkable improvement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the extruded strands was observed in the blends with increasing amounts of TLCP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2676–2685, 2003