Properties of ternary in situ polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate/liquid crystalline polymer composites

Ternary in situ polycarbonate (PC)/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)/liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) composites were prepared by injection molding. The liquid crystalline polymer used was a versatile Vectra A950. The matrix of composite was composed of PC/PBT 60/40 by weight. A solid epoxy resin (bisphenol type‐A) was used as a compatibilizer for the composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that epoxy resin was effective to improve the compatibility between PC and PBT, and between PC/PBT and LCP, respectively. Tensile tests revealed that the stiffness of composites shows little change with the LCP content up to 10 wt %. Above this concentration, the stiffness tended to increase with increasing LCP content. Furthermore, the tensile strengths appeared to increase with increasing LCP content, and their values were close to those predicted from the rule of mixtures. Scanning electron microscopic examination showed that LCP ribbons and short fibrils were developed in the composites containing LCP content ≤10 wt %. However, fine and elongated fibrils were formed in the skin and core sections of the composites when the LCP content reached 25 wt % and above. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the thermooxidative stability of the PC/PBT 60/40 blend tended to improve with increasing LCP content. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1827–1835, 1999     

Fiber reinforcement and fracture resistance of PC/PBT/LCP ternary in situ composite

The microstructures, mechanical properties, and fracture toughness of LCP (Vectra B950) reinforced PC/PBT blend with a 60/40 weight ratio have been studied. LCP of varying concentrations were investigated as rigid fillers in matrices of multiphase polymer blends. In this study, differences in microstructures and morphology between samples of two thicknesses (4 mm thick and 6 mm thick) and two geometries (dumbbell and rectangular) were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Given identical processing conditions, fibrous LCP structures were evident in the 4-mm-thick injection molded, dumbbell-shaped samples, whereas the 6-mm-thick rectangular samples displayed spherical dispersion of LCP aggregates that embrittled the preblended ductile matrix. Tensile properties of the dumbbell specimens showed superior strengthening and stiffening whereby the tensile strength increased twofold and the modulus increased fourfold. Plane strain fracture toughness was slightly enhanced as the LCP content increased because of the fiber strengthening effect but the overall fracture performance of the in situ composites was relatively poor compared with PC/PBT. Experimental results were compared with those predicted in composite theory. Simplified micromechanics equations were developed to describe the tensile moduli of injection molded LCP reinforced blends that exhibited a strong skin-core morphology.     

In situ reinforcement of poly(butylene terephthalate) and butyl rubber by liquid crystalline polymer

Ternary in situ butyl rubber (IIR)/poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) blends were prepared by compression molding. The LCP used was a versatile Vectra A950, and the matrix material was IIR/PBT 50/50 by weight. Morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties of blends were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Microscopy study (SEM) showed that formation of fibers is increasing with the increasing amount of LCP A950. Microscopic examination of the fractured surface confirmed the presence of a polymer coating on LCP fibrils. This can be attributed to some interactions including both chemical and physical one. The increased compatibility in polymer blends, consisting of IIR/PBT, by the presence of LCP A950 may be explained by the adsorption phenomena of the polymer chains onto the LCP fibrils. SEM and AFM images provided the evidence of the interaction between IIR/PBT and the LCP. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) and TGA measurements showed that the composites possessed a remarkably higher modulus and heat stability than the unfilled system. Storage modulus for the ternary blend containing 50 wt% of LCP exhibits about 94% increment compared with binary blend of IIR/PBT. From the above results, it is suggested that the LCP A950 can act as reinforcement agent in the blends. Moreover, the fine dispersion of LCP was observed with no extensional forces applied during mixing, indicating the importance of interfacial adhesion for the fibril formation. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Mechanical performance of ternary in situ polycarbonate/poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene)/liquid crystalline polymer composites

Ternary in situ polycarbonate (PC)/poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS)/liquid crystalline polymer(LCP) composites were prepared by injection molding. The LCP used was a versatile Vectra A950, and the matrix of composite specimens was PC/ABS 60/40 by weight. Maleic anhydride (MA) copolymer and solid epoxy resin (bisphenol type‐A) were used as compatibilizers for these composites. The tensile, dynamic mechanical, impact, morphology, and thermal properties of the composites were studied. Tensile tests showed that the tensile strength of the PC/ABS/LCP composite in the longitudinal direction increased markedly with increasing LCP content. However, it decreased slowly with increasing LCP content in the transverse direction. The modulus of this composite in the longitudinal direction appeared to increase considerably with increasing LCP content, whereas the incorporation of LCP into PC/ABS blends had little effect on the modulus in the transverse direction. The impact tests revealed that the Izod impact strength of the composites in both longitudinal and transverse direction decreased with increasing LCP content up to 15 wt %; thereafter it increased slowly with increasing LCP. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) and thermogravimetric measurements showed that the heat resistance and heat stability of the composites tended to increase with increasing LCP content. Scanning electron microscopy observation and DMA measurement indicated that the additions of epoxy and MA copolymer to PC/ABS matrix appeared to enhance the compatibility between the PC and ABS, and between the matrix and LCP. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 2274–2282, 1999     

In‐situ reinforcement of PBT/ABS blends with liquid crystalline polymer

Ternary in‐situ poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/poly(acrylonitrile‐butadienestyrene) (ABS)/liquid crystalline polymer(LCP) blends were prepared by injection molding. The LCP used was a versatile Vectra A950, and the matrix material was PBT/ABS 60/40 by weight. Maleic anhydride (MA) copolymer and solid epoxy resin (bisphenol type‐A) were used as compatibilizers for these blends. The tensile, dynamic mechanical, impact, morphology and thermal properties of the blends were studied. Tensile tests showed that the tensile stregth of PBT/ABS/LCP blend in the longitudinal direction increased markedly with increasing LCP content. However, it decreased sharply with increasing LCP content up to 5 wt%; thereafter it decreased slowly with increasing LCP content in the transverse direction. The modulus of this blend in the longitudinal direction appeared to increase considerably with increasing LCP content, whereas the incorporation of LCP into PBT/ABS blends had little effect on the modulus in the transverse direction. The impact tests revealed that the Izod impact strength of the blends in longitudinal direction decreased with increasing LCP content up to 10 wt%; thereafter it increased slowly with increasing LCP. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) and thermogravimetric measurements showed that the heat resistance and heat stability of the blends tended to increase with increasing LCP content. SEM observation, DMA, and tensile measurement indicated that the additions of epoxy and MA copolymer to PBT/ABS matrix appeared to enhance the compatibility between PBT/ABS and LCP.     

Study on in situ reinforcing and toughening of a semiflexible thermotropic copolyesteramide in PBT/PA66 blends

Ternary in situ composites based on poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), polyamide 66 (PA66), and semixflexible liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) were systematically investigated. The LCP used was an ABA30/PET liquid crystalline copolyesteramide based on 30 mol % of p‐aminobenzoic acid (ABA) and 70 mol % of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The specimens for thermal and rheological measurements were prepared by batch mixing, while samples for mechanical tests were prepared by injection molding. The results showed that the melting temperatures of the PBT and PA66 phases tend to decrease with increasing LCP addition. They also shifted toward each other due to the compatibilization of the LCP. The torque measurements showed that the ternary blends exhibited an apparent maximum near 2.5–5 wt % LCP. Thereafter, the viscosity of the blends decreased dramatically at higher LCP concentrations. Furthermore, the torque curves versus the PA66 composition showed that the binary PBT/PA66 blends can be classified as negative deviation blends (NDBs). The PBT/PA66/LCP blends containing up to 15 wt % LCP were termed as positive deviation blends (PDBs), while the blends with the LCP ≥25 wt % exhibited an NDB behavior. Finally, the tensile tests showed that the stiffness and tensile strength of ternary in situ composites were generally improved with increasing LCP content. The impact strength of ternary composites initially increased by the LCP addition, then deteriorated when the LCP content was higher than 10 wt %. The correlation between the mechanical properties and morphology of the blends is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1975–1988, 2000     

The effect of recycling number on the mechanical,chemical, thermal,and rheological properties of PBT/PC/ABS ternary blends: With and without glass‐fiber

The recycling possibilities of poly(butylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (PBT/PC/ABS) ternary blend with and without glass‐fiber content were investigated using repeated injection molding process. In this study, PBT/PC/ABS ternary blends were reprocessed at five times and the results were presented after each recycling process. The recycling possibility of PBT/PC/ABS ternary blend was evaluated by measuring the mechanical, chemical, thermal, and rheological properties. Mechanical properties were determined by the tensile strength, yield strength, strain at break, elastic modulus, impact strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus. Chemical and thermal properties were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Rheological properties of the ternary blends were studied by melt flow index measurement. From the results, it was found that mechanical properties of recycled composites were better than virgin PBT/PC/ABS ternary blends. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:2074–2084, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Reinforcement of mechanical properties of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) and polycarbonate blend by the addition of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer

Mechanical properties of the ternary blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polycarbonate (PC), and thermotropic liquid crystalline (TCLP, Vectra A950) were investigated. The ternary blends were prepared by varying the amount TLCP but fixing the ration of PET and PC. The fiber fallen freely through the capillary die had the highest initial modulus (1.46 GPa)/tensile strength (73 MPa) when 10% of TLCP was added. Above this TLCP content, however initial modulus and tensile strength decreased. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of the TLCP phase which was extracted by dissolving PET/PC matrix from the blend showed the fine fibrils formed at 5 and 10% of TLCP, while the aggregated TLCP phases at 20 and 30% of TLCP. It was suggested that the decrease of the mechanical properties of the resulting blend was caused by the aggregation of TLCP phase above 10% of TLCP. A high draw ratio gave a rise to the formation of highly oriented fibrils of TLCP phase in the PET/PC matrix and the improvement of mechanical properties of the ternary blend.     

Rheological and physical properties of polyarylate/LCP blend systems

A polyarylate Unitika U-Polymer 100 (PAR) was melt blended with a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) Vectra A950, and the processingmorphology-properties relations were investigated. Inclusion of LCP slightly reduced T_g of PAR. The PAR/LCP blend with the LCP content higher than 50 wt% exhibited a noticeable yield stress, particularly in the vicinity of crystal-to-nematic transition temperature (T_cn). LCP lowered the blend viscosity above T_cn and seemed to play a role as processing aid. The tensile strength of the blends was increased with increasing spin draw ratio and level of LCP, and the spinning temperature influenced tensile strength. The relaxation behavior under dynamic shear and resultant blend morphology based on WAXD and SEM analyses are discussed as well.     

A study on blends of liquid crystalline copolyesters with polycarbonate. III. Mechanical properties of compatibilized blends

Blends of liquid crystalline poly(oxybenzoate-co-oxynaphthalate) (Vectra A950) and polycarbonate (PC) were prepared by adding a compatibilizer to the two polymers in a melt-blending process. The compatibilizer was based on controlled transesterification between synthesized poly(oxybenzoate-co-terephthalate) (40/60) and PC. The compatibilizer exhibited birefringence, and its thermal property was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry. The maximum increase in tensile modulus and tensile strength of these compatibilized Vectra blends were 24% and 54%, respectively, as compared with those of binary Vectra blend without compatibilizer resulting from an injection-molding process. The tensile properties of the compatibilized Vectra blends decreased once the concentration of the compatibilizer exceeded 2 phr. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1527–1533, 1997     

Preparation and properties of self-reinforced polypropylene/liquid crystalline polymer blends

The mechanical properties of self-reinforced liquid crystalline polymer/polypropylene (LCP/PP) blends strongly depend on the viscosity ratio of the blend components in the melt. This ratio was determined for PP blends with different commercial LCPs (Vectra A950 and Vectra B950), by means of capillary rheometry, under conditions representative for the blending process during extrusion. It was found that optimal mechanical properties were achieved when the LCP/PP viscosity ratio at 285°C ranges between 2 and 4 at a shear rate of 800–1000s⁻¹. The LCP/PP viscosity ratio appears to be shear stress dependent. This creates the option of fine tuning the LCP droplet deformation process by means of the extrusion rate. This shear stress dependence is more pronounced for PP blends with Vectra B950 than for blends with Vectra A950.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of injection molded liquid crystalline polymer/amorphous polymer blends

Injection molded samples of binary blends of Vectra (LCP) and the three amorphous polymers polyethersulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), and aromatic poly(ester carbonate) (APEC) have been subjected to morphological and rheological characterization, and coefficients of linear thermal expansion and Young's moduli have been determined. The Young's modulus of the PES/LCP blends exhibited a near lower-bound behavior that could be predicted by the one-adjustable-parameter equations of Halpin-Tsai (ζ = 0.18) and Takayanaga (b = 0.23), whereas the coefficients of linear thermal expansion followed the Takayanaga equation with a value of b = 0.50. The chain orientation of the LCP component was essentially constant in all PES/LCP blends with a Herman's orientation parameter of 0.39 ± 0.03. Transesterification reactions led to randomization of the constituents of the PC/LCP and APEC/LCP blends. The effect was more pronounced in the PC/LCP blends. The introduction of the LCP into the PC/LCP blends led to no reduction in melt viscosity and no self-reinforcement. APEC/LCP exhibited self-reinforcement in blends with a content greater than 27 vol% LCP, and especially the blend with 67 vol% LCP. The self-reinforcement was caused by the presence of an oriented LCP phase, confirmed by X-ray diffraction, and by improved interfacial bonding, presumably resulting from the transesterification reactions occurring at the phase boundaries.     

Characterization of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester/polycarbonate blends: Miscibility,rheology, and free volume behavior

Miscibility, rheology, and free volume properties of blends of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCPs) (Vectra A950) and polycarbonate (PC) are studied in this work. Despite the unusual increase in T_g of the PC phase, the blends are found to be generally immiscible. Transesterification may occur during blending and be the cause of the increase of T_g of the PC phase and the partial miscibility of the blends at high TLCP concentrations. With regard to the melt rheology of these materials, according to a three‐zone model, dynamic moduli of Vectra A950 show plateau‐ and transition‐zone behavior, while PC exhibits terminal‐zone behavior. The blends show only terminal‐zone behavior at low Vectra A950 contents (≤50%) and terminal‐ and plateau‐zone behavior at higher Vectra A950 contents. The relaxation time of Vectra A950 is much longer than PC and the blends have relaxation times greater than additivity. Both the complex and steady shear viscosities of the blends increase with the addition of Vectra A950. This is attributed to interfacial association, which retards the reorientation and alignment of the Vectra A950 phase in the molten state. The Cox–Merz rule holds true for PC but not for Vectra A950 and the blends. Free volume properties on an angstrom scale evaluated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) indicate that Vectra A950 has smaller, fewer free volume cavities than PC and the variation of free volume behavior in the blends can be explained in terms of blend miscibility. The measured densities of the blends agree well with the free volume fractions of the blends determined from PALS. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2319–2330, 2000     

PBT/PC/E-MA-GMA三元共混体系的力学性能与亚微相态

将乙烯-丙烯酸甲酯-甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(E-MA-GMA)三元共聚物与聚碳酸酯(PC)增韧聚对苯二甲酸丁二酯(PBT),研究了其力学性能、亚微相态和强韧化机制。结果表明,当m(PBT)／m(PC)为50:50,三元共混体系在w(E-MA-GMA)为10％时,缺口冲击强度达93 kJ／m2,同时拉伸强度达到54 MPa。扫描电子显微镜观察发现,E- MA-GMA作为柔性界面层,起到反应性增容作用,使PC分散相的相畴尺寸变小。PC相特有的相形态以及柔性界面层的存在是三元共混体系强韧化的主要机制。     

Random orientation of in situ composites based on liquid‐crystalline polymers by compression moulding

In this study, randomly oriented in situ composites based on liquid‐crystalline polymers (LCPs) were prepared by thermal compression moulding. The LCP employed was a semi‐flexible liquid‐crystalline copolyesteramide with 30 mol% of p‐aminobenzoic acid (ABA) and 70 mol% of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The matrices were poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and polyamide 66 (PA66). The rheological properties, compatibility and morphological structures of these in situ composites were investigated. The results showed that PA66‐LCP and PBT–LCP component pairs of the composites are miscible in the molten state, but partially compatible in the solid state. The ratios of viscosity, λ₁ = η_LCP/η_PA66 and λ₂ = η_LCP/η_PBT, are all greater than 1.0. However, the melt viscosity of the LCP/PBT and LCP/PA66 blend is much lower than that of PBT and PA66, and it decreases markedly with increasing LCP content. When the LCP/PA66 or LCP/PBT blends are compression moulded, the LCP/PA66 or LCP/PBT melts and flows easily due to their low viscosity, and the LCP phases in the melts deform easily along the flow directions, which are random. It leads to uniformly dispersed LCP micro‐fibres randomly orientation in the thermoplastic matrix due to the compatibility between the blending components. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

The vibration welding of poly(butylene terephthalate) and a polycarbonate/poly(butylene terephthalate) blend to each other and to other resins and blends

Vibration welding is used to assess the weldability of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and a polycarbonate/poly(butylene terephthalate) blend (PC/PBT) to each other and to other resins and blends: PBT to PC/PBT, PBT to modified poly(phenylene oxide) (M-PPO), PBT to polyetherimide (PEI) and PEI to a 65 wt% mineral-filled polyester blend (65-PF-PEB), PBT to a poly(phenylene oxide)/polyamide blend (PPO/PA), PC/PBT to M-PPO, and PC/PBT to PPO/PA. Based on the tensile strength of the weaker of the two materials in each pair, the following relative weld strengths have been demonstrated: PBT to PC/PBT,98%; PBT to PEI, 95%; 65-PF-PEB to PEI, 92%; and PC/PBT to M-PPO, 73%. PBT neither welds to M-PPO nor to PPO/PA, and PC/PBT does not weld to PPO/PA.     

In situ composites from blends of polycarbonate and a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer: The influence of the processing temperature on the rheology,morphology, and mechanical properties of injection‐molded microcomposites

This work was aimed at understanding how the injection‐molding temperature affected the final mechanical properties of in situ composite materials based on polycarbonate (PC) reinforced with a liquid‐crystalline polymer (LCP). To that end, the LCP was a copolyester, called Vectra A950 (VA), made of 73 mol % 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid and 27 mol % 6‐hydroxy‐2 naphthoic acid. The injection‐molded PC/VA composites were produced with loadings of 5, 10, and 20 wt % VA at three different processing barrel temperatures (280, 290, and 300°C). When the composite was processed at barrel temperatures of 280 and 290°C, VA provided reinforcement to PC. The resulting injection‐molded structure had a distinct skin–core morphology with unoriented VA in the core. At these barrel temperatures, the viscosity of VA was lower than that of PC. However, when they were processed at 300°C, the VA domains were dispersed mainly in spherical droplets in the PC/VA composites and thus were unable to reinforce the material. The rheological measurements showed that now the viscosity of VA was higher than that of PC at 300°C. This structure development during the injection molding of these composites was manifested in the mechanical properties. The tensile modulus and tensile strength of the PC/VA composites were dependent on the processing temperature and on the VA concentrations. The modulus was maximum in the PC/VA blend with 20 wt % VA processed at 290°C. The Izod impact strength of the composites tended to markedly decrease with increasing VA content. The magnitude of the loss modulus decreased with increasing VA content at a given processing temperature. This was attributed to the anisotropic reinforcement of VA. Similarly, as the VA content increased, the modulus and thus the reinforcing effect were improved comparatively with the processing temperature increasing from 280 to 290°C; this, however, dropped in the case of composites processed at 300°C, at which the modulus anisotropy was reduced. Dynamic oscillatory shear measurements revealed that the viscoelastic properties, that is, the shear storage modulus and shear loss modulus, improved with decreasing processing temperatures and increasing VA contents in the composites. Also, the viscoelastic melt behavior (shear storage modulus and shear loss modulus) indicated that the addition of VA changed the distribution of the longer relaxation times of PC in the PC/VA composites. Thus, the injection‐molding processing temperature played a vital role in optimizing the morphology‐dependent mechanical properties of the polymer/LCP composites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Compatibilizing effect of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer on the properties of polyamide‐6/liquid crystalline copolyester composites

Liquid crystalline polymer–polyamide‐6 (LCP/PA6) composites containing 20 wt % LCP content were compatibilized by a random styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer (RSMA). The blending was performed via extrusion followed by injection molding. The LCP employed was a commercial copolyester, Vectra A950. The dynamic mechanical (DMA), rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties as well as the morphology of the composites were studied. The DMA and rheological results showed that RSMA is an effective compatibilizer for LCP/PA6 blends. The mechanical measurements showed that the stiffness, tensile strength, and toughness of the in situ composites are generally improved with increasing RSMA content. However, these mechanical properties deteriorated considerably when RSMA content was above 10 wt %. The drop‐weight dart impact test was also applied to analyze the toughening behavior of these composites. The results show that the maximum impact force (F_max) and crack‐initiation energy (E_init) tend to increase with increasing RSMA content. From these results, it appeared that RSMA prolongs the crack‐initiation time and increases the energies for crack initiation and impact fracture, thereby leading to toughening of LCP/PA6 in situ composites. Finally, the correlation between the mechanical properties and morphology of the blends is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1964–1974, 2000     

Morphological Characteristics and the Modulus of Liquid Crystalline Polymer Fibers Dispersed in a Thermoplastic Matrix

The morphology of a polycarbonate (PC)-based blend containing a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) component has been characterized in terms of the layer structure, layer thickness, aspect ratio, and number of the shear-induced fibers developed during injection molding. This dispersed LCP phase was still embedded as fibers and deformed droplets in the PC matrix, and their tensile modulus was usually unknown due to the testing problems. Based on the morphological characteristics, a calculation procedure has been developed to estimate the modulus of these fibers and droplets by using a set of micromechanical models. It has been found that the average tensile modulus of these shear-induced LCP fibers and deformed droplets seems to be a material constant, independent of the injection molding condition, i.e., the shear flow condition. For the LCP Vectra A950 studied, the calculated tensile modulus was 24.0 GPa. This value was in fair agreement with that reported in literature. It was larger than that of the injection-molded pure LCP samples and smaller than that of the drawn pure LCP strand.     

A gradient structure formed in injection‐molded polycarbonate in situ hybrid composites and its corresponding performances

Three polycarbonate (PC) composites that were reinforced, respectively, with liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), glass fibers, and both of them were prepared by a single injection‐molding process. The role of LCP in improving the processibility of the composites was characterized by torque measurement test. The transitions of LCP morphology in two‐ and three‐component composites were investigated by using polarizing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The micrographs showed a skin–core gradient structure in all three systems investigated, and the addition of glass fiber to the PC/LCP blend affected the morphological transition and content distribution of dispersed LCP phase through the thickness of the injection‐molded samples. These results were correlated well with the measurements of tensile mechanical properties and dynamic mechanical analysis. How to fully use the dispersed LCP phase in PC in situ hybrid composites was discussed for the thickness change of core layer and the heterogeneous distribution of more LCP in the core. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 625–634, 2004