Morphology and rheology of HDPE/LCP blends compatibilized by a novel PE-g-LCP copolymer

A novel graft copolymer (PE-g-LCP) consisting of polyethylene (PE) backbones and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) branches was synthesized via reactive blending of an acrylic acid-functionalized PE (Escor 5000 by Exxon) with a semiflexible LCP (SBH 1 : 1 : 2 by Eniricerche S.p.A.). The crude reactive blending product (COP) was shown by investigation of the fractions soluble in boiling toluene and xylene and of the residue to contain unreacted Escor and SBH, together with the graft copolymer forming the interphase. The compatibilizing activity of COP for PE/SBH blends, compared to that of pure Escor, was investigated using two PE grades. The COP addition into 80/20 PE/SBH blends caused a much stronger reduction of the SBH droplet dimensions and morphology stabilization than did that of pure Escor. The rheological behavior of the samples showed that COP leads to a slight increase of interfacial adhesion in the melt as well and that the effect is more pronounced when lower molar mass PE grade is used as the blend matrix. Melt-spinning tests demonstrated that deformation of the SBH droplets into highly oriented fibrils can be obtained for the blends of lower molar mass PE, compatibilized with small amounts of the novel PE-g-SBH copolymer. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 2069–2077, 1999     

On the mechanism of compatibilization of polyolefin/liquid crystalline polymer blends with graft copolymers

The compatibilization mechanism of some compatibilizers for blends of polyolefins with a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) was studied. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were blended with a semirigid LCP (SBH) in a batch mixer, either with and without compatibilizers. The latter were two commercially available samples of functionalized polyolefins, that is, a PE‐g‐MA (HDM) and a PP‐g‐AA (Polybond 1001) copolymer and some purposely synthesized PE‐g‐LCP and PP‐g‐LCP copolymers. Microtomed films of the binary and the ternary blends were annealed at 240°C on the hot stage of a polarizing microscope and the changes undergone by their morphology were recorded as a function of time. The results indicate that the compatibilizers lower the interfacial tension, thereby providing an improvement of the minor phase dispersion. In addition to this, the rate of the coalescence caused by the high‐temperature treatment is appreciably reduced in the systems compatibilized with the PE–SBH and PP–SBH graft copolymers. Among the commercial compatibilizers, only Polybond 1001 displayed an effect comparable to that of the above copolymers. HDM improved the morphology of the as‐prepared PE blends, but failed to grant sufficient morphological stabilization against annealing‐induced coarsening. The results are discussed with reference to the chemical structure of the different compatibilizers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 3027–3034, 2000     

Synthesis of PP–LCP graft copolymers and their compatibilizing activity for PP/LCP blends

The aim of this work was the synthesis of new graft copolymers consisting of polypropylene (PP) backbones and liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) branches, to be used as compatibilizing agents for PP/LCP blends. The PP-g-LCP copolymers have been prepared by polycondensation of the monomers of a semiflexible liquid crystalline polyester (SBH 1 : 1 : 2), that is, sebacic acid (S), 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl (B), and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (H) in the mole ratio of 1 : 1 : 2, carried out in the presence of appropriate amounts of a commercial acrylic-acid-functionalized polypropylene (PPAA). The polycondensation products, referred to as COPP50 and COPP70, having a calculated PPAA concentration of 50 and 70 wt %, respectively, have been fractionated with boiling toluene and xylene, and the soluble and insoluble fractions have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. All analytical characterizations have concordantly shown that the products are formed by intricate mixtures of unreacted PPAA and SBH together with PP-g-SBH copolymers of different composition. Exploratory experiments carried out by adding small amounts of COPP50 or COPP70 into binary mixtures of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and SBH while blending have demonstrated that this practice leads to an appreciable improvement of the dispersion of the minor LCP phase, as well as to an increase of the crystallization rate of iPP. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 391–403, 1998     

Poly(ethylene‐graft‐ethylene oxide) (PE‐PEO) and poly(ethylene‐co‐acrylic acid) (PEAA) as compatibilizers in blends of LDPE and polyamide‐6

In a blend of two immiscible polymers a controlled morphology can be obtained by adding a block or graft copolymer as compatibilizer. In the present work blends of low‐density polyethylene (PE) and polyamide‐6 (PA‐6) were prepared by melt mixing the polymers in a co‐rotating, intermeshing twin‐screw extruder. Poly(ethylene‐graft‐polyethylene oxide) (PE‐PEO), synthesized from poly(ethylene‐co‐acrylic acid) (PEAA) (backbone) and poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (MPEO) (grafts), was added as compatibilizer. As a comparison, the unmodified backbone polymer, PEAA, was used. The morphology of the blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Melting and crystallization behavior of the blends was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mechanical properties by tensile testing. The compatibilizing mechanisms were different for the two copolymers, and generated two different blend morphologies. Addition of PE‐PEO gave a material with small, well‐dispersed PA‐spheres having good adhesion to the PE matrix, whereas PEAA generated a morphology characterized by small PA‐spheres agglomerated to larger structures. Both compatibilized PE/PA blends had much improved mechanical properties compared with the uncompatibilized blend, with elongation at break (ε_b) increasing up to 200%. Addition of compatibilizer to the PE/PA blends stabilized the morphology towards coalescence and significantly reduced the size of the dispersed phase domains, from an average diameter of 20 μm in the unmodified PE/PA blend to approximately 1 μm in the compatibilized blends. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2416–2424, 2000     

Relationship between branch length and the compatibilizing effect of polypropylene‐g‐polystyrene graft copolymer on polypropylene/polystyrene blends

Three polypropylene‐g‐polystyrene (PP‐g‐PS) graft copolymers with the same branch density but different branch lengths were evaluated as compatibilizing agents for PP/PS blends. The morphological and rheological results revealed that the addition of PP‐g‐PS graft copolymers significantly reduced the PS particle size and enhanced the interfacial adhesion between PP and PS phases. Furthermore, it is verified that the branch length of PP‐g‐PS graft copolymer had opposite effects on its compatibilizing effect: on one hand, increasing the branch length could improve the compatibilizing effect of graft copolymer on PP/PS blends, demonstrated by the reduction of PS particle size and the enhancement of interfacial adhesion; on the other hand, increasing the branch length would increase the melt viscosity of PP‐g‐PS graft copolymer, which prevented it from migrating effectively to the interface of blend components. Additionally, the crystallization and melting behaviors of PP and PP/PS blends were compared. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40126.     

Morphology and properties of nylon 6 and high density polyethylene blends in presence of nanoclay and PE‐g‐MA

In this study, we report the synergistic effect of nanoclay and maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE‐g‐MA) on the morphology and properties of (80/20 w/w) nylon 6/high density polyethylene (HDPE) blend. Polymer blend nanocomposites containing nanoclay with and without compatibilizer (PE‐g‐MA) were prepared by melt mixing, and their morphologies and structures were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wide angle X‐ray diffractometer (WAXD) study. The size of phase‐separated domains decreased considerably with increasing content of nanoclay and PE‐g‐MA. WAXD study and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the presence of exfoliated clay platelets in nylon 6 matrix, as well as, at the interface of the (80/20 w/w) nylon 6/HDPE blend–clay nanocomposites. Addition of PE‐g‐MA in the blend–clay nanocomposites enhanced the exfoliation of clays in nylon 6 matrix and especially at the interface. Thus, exfoliated clay platelets in nylon 6 matrix effectively restricted the coalescence of dispersed HDPE domains while PE‐g‐MA improved the adhesion between the phases at the interface. The use of compatibilizer and nanoclay in polymer blends may lead to a high performance material which combines the advantages of compatibilized polymer blends and the merits of polymer nanocomposites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Compatibilization of blends of polyethylene with a semirigid liquid crystalline polymer by PE-g-LCP copolymers

The blends of thermoplastics with liquid crystalline polymers show, in general, poor properties because of the lack of adherence between the two phases. The use of ad hoc synthesized copolymers containing the monomer units of the two polymers has been recently considered by some of us for blend compatibilization, and the results appear promising. In this work, new PE-g-LCP copolymers, prepared either by the synthesis of the LCP in the presence of a functionalized PE, or by reactive blending of the latter polymer with preformed LCP, have been employed as compatibilizing additives for blends of PE with a semirigid LCP. The morphology and the rheological and mechanical properties of the ternary blends, compared with those of samples without compatibilizers, or containing conventional maleic anhydride grafted PE, indicate that the PE-g-LCP copolymers do in fact lead to an improvement of interfacial adhesion, both in the melt and in the solid state, as well as to a modest enhancement of the mechanical properties. The results may be rationalized considering that the PE-g-LCP copolymers used by us consist of fairly short PE backbones with LCP grafts of various length. The molecules with longer LCP branches are thought to become mixed at the surface of the LCP particles and to give rise to fairly weak interaction with the PE matrix. It is argued that new PE-g-LCP copolymers synthesized from higher molar mass functionalized PE samples might show much better compatibilizing performance.     

Reactive blending of a functionalized polyethylene with a semiflexible liquid crystalline copolyester

Reactive blends (50/50 w/w)of a low molar mass polyethylene containing free carboxylic groups (PEox) and a semiflexible liquid crystalline polyester (SBH 1:1:2, by Eniricerche) have been prepared at 240°C in a Brabender mixer, in the presence of Ti(OBu)₄ catalyst, for different mixing times (15,60, and 120 min). In order to prove the formation of a PE-g-SBH copolymer, the blends have been fractionated by successive extractions with boiling toluene and xylene. The soluble fractions and the residues have been analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry (TG and DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All analytical procedures concordantly show that PE-g-SBH copolymers with different compositions, arising from differences of either the number of PEox carboxylic groups entering the transesterification or the length of grafted SBH branches, are formed as a result of blending. Depending on the relative content of PE and SBH segments, the copolymers dissolve in the solvents, together with any unrreacted PEox, or remain in the residues, together with neat SBH. Qualitative IR analyses and quantitative TG measurements have shown that the amount of copolymers increases strongly with the mixing time. Preliminary SEM observations indicate that the unfractionated products of the reactive blending carried out with long (120 min) mixing times lead to improved interfacial adhesion and phase dispersion when added to PE/SBH blends. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Influence of diblock copolymer on the morphology and properties of polystyrene/poly(dimethylsiloxane) blends

Blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), with and without diblock copolymers (PS‐b‐PDMS), were prepared by melt mixing. The melt rheology behavior of the blends was studied with a capillary rheometer. The morphology of the blends was examined with scanning electron microscopy. The miscibility of the blends was studied with differential scanning calorimetry. The morphology of PS/PDMS blends was modified by the addition of PS‐b‐PDMS copolymers and investigated as a function of the molar mass of the diblock copolymers, viscosity ratios and the processing conditions. As investigated, the observed morphology of the melt‐blended PS/PDMS pair unambiguously supported the interfacial activity of the diblock copolymers. When a few percent of the diblock copolymers blended together with the PS and PDMS homopolymers, the phase size was reduced and the phase dispersion was firmly stabilized against coalescence. The compatibilizing efficiency of the copolymers was strongly dependent on its molar mass. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2747–2757, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of a PE-g-LCP copolymer

The possibility of reinforcing polyethylene (PE) by blending it with a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) rests on the successful improvement of phase compatibility and interfacial adhesion of these two structurally unlike polymers. The approach that is being considered in our laboratories consists of the synthesis of PE–LCP block or graft copolymers and of their use as compatibilizing agents for PE/LCP blends. In this work, the melt polycon-densation of sebacic acid (S), 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl (B), and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (H) has been carried out at temperatures up to 280°C in the presence of an oxidized low molar mass PE sample containing free carboxylic groups (PEox), with the main scope of demonstrating that a PE-g-LCP copolymer may be synthesized by this route. The polycon-densation product has been fractionated by successive extractions with boiling toluene and xylene. The soluble fractions and the residues have been characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG, DTG), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The extractions and the analyses have been repeated on a PEox/LCP blend prepared by melt mixing PEox and preformed LCP (SBH 112, by Eniricerche). The results show that, whereas for the blend a fairly clean separation of PEox and SBH can be obtained by solvent extraction, this is not so for the polycondensation product. All analytical procedures concordantly show that a PEox-g-SBH copolymer has, in fact, been obtained. In effect, both PEox and SBH chain segments are present, with different relative ratios, in all fractions of the polycondensate. Moreover, a fairly quantitative esterification of the PEox carboxyl groups has been shown by IR analysis to take place in the adopted conditions. Preliminary morphological investigations carried out by SEM have shown that the addition of the synthesized graft copolymer into HDPE/SBH blends leads to an improvement of the interfacial adhesion. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reactive mixing of PET and PET/PP blends with glycidyl methacrylate–modified styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐olefin) block copolymers

Styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐styrene (SEBS) and styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐propylene) (SEP, SEPSEP) block copolymers with different styrene contents and different numbers of blocks in the copolymer chain were functionalized by melt radical grafting with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and employed as compatibilizers for PET‐based blends. Binary blends of PET with both functionalized (SEBS‐g‐GMA, SEP‐g‐GMA, SEPSEP‐g‐GMA) and neat (SEBS, SEP, SEPSEP) copolymers (75 : 25 w/w) and ternary blends of PET and PP (75 : 25 w/w) with various amounts (2.5–10 phr) of both modified and unmodified copolymers were prepared in an internal mixer, and their properties were evaluated by SEM, DSC, melt viscosimetry, and tensile and impact tests. The roles of the chemical structure, grafting degree, and concentration of the various copolymers on blend compatibilization was investigated. The blends with the grafted copolymers showed a neat improvement of phase dispersion and interfacial adhesion compared to the blends with nonfunctionalized copolymers. The addition of grafted copolymers resulted in a marked increase in melt viscosity, which was accounted for by the occurrence of chemical reactions between the epoxide groups of GMA and the carboxyl/hydroxyl end groups of PET during melt mixing. Blends with SEPSEP‐g‐GMA and SEBS‐g‐GMA, at concentrations of 5–10 phr, showed a higher compatibilizing effect with enhanced elongation at break and impact resistance. The effectiveness of GMA‐functionalized SEBS was then compared to that of maleic anhydride–grafted SEBS. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 2201–2211, 2005     

Effect of core‐shell morphology evolution on the rheology,crystallization, and mechanical properties of PA6/EPDM‐g‐MA/HDPE ternary blend

In this article, polyamide 6 (PA6), maleic anhydride grafted ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM‐g‐MA), high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) were simultaneously added into an internal mixer to melt‐mixing for different periods. The relationship between morphology and rheological behaviors, crystallization, mechanical properties of PA6/EPDM‐g‐MA/HDPE blends were studied. The phase morphology observation revealed that PA6/EPDM‐g‐MA/HDPE (70/15/15 wt %) blend is constituted from PA6 matrix in which is dispersed core‐shell droplets of HDPE core encapsulated by EPDM‐g‐MA phase and indicated that the mixing time played a crucial role on the evolution of the core‐shell morphology. Rheological measurement manifested that the complex viscosity and storage modulus of ternary blends were notable higher than the pure polymer blends and binary blends which ascribed different phase morphology. Moreover, the maximum notched impact strength of PA6/EPDM‐g‐MA/HDPE blend was 80.7 KJ/m² and this value was 10–11 times higher than that of pure PA6. Particularly, differential scanning calorimetry results indicated that the bulk crystallization temperature of HDPE (114.6°C) was partly weakened and a new crystallization peak appeared at a lower temperature of around 102.2°C as a result of co‐crystal of HDPE and EPDM‐g‐MA. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Compatibilizing effect of starch‐grafted‐poly(L‐lactide) on the poly(ε‐caprolactone)/starch composites

The poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)/starch blends were prepared with a coextruder by using the starch grafted PLLA copolymer (St‐g‐PLLA) as compatibilizers. The thermal, mechanical, thermo‐mechanical, and morphological characterizations were performed to show the better performance of these blends compared with the virgin PCL/starch blend without the compatibilizer. Interfacial adhesion between PCL matrix and starch dispersion phases dominated by the compatibilizing effects of the St‐g‐PLLA copolymers was significantly improved. Mechanical and other physical properties were correlated with the compatibilizing effect of the St‐g‐PLLA copolymer. With the addition of starch acted as rigid filler, the Young's modulus of the PCL/starch blends with or without compatibilizer all increased, and the strength and elongation were decreased compared with pure PCL. Whereas when St‐g‐PLLA added into the blend, starch and PCL, the properties of the blends were improved markedly. The 50/50 composite of PCL/starch compatibilized by 10% St‐g‐PLLA gave a tensile strength of 16.6 MPa and Young's modulus of 996 MPa, respectively, vs. 8.0 MPa and 597 MPa, respectively, for the simple 50/50 blend of PCL/starch. At the same time, the storage modulus of compatibilized blends improved to 2940 MPa. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Phase structure and properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/high‐density polyethylene based on recycled materials

Blends based on recycled high density polyethylene (R‐HDPE) and recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R‐PET) were made through reactive extrusion. The effects of maleated polyethylene (PE‐g‐MA), triblock copolymer of styrene and ethylene/butylene (SEBS), and 4,4′‐methylenedi(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI) on blend properties were studied. The 2% PE‐g‐MA improved the compatibility of R‐HDPE and R‐PET in all blends toughened by SEBS. For the R‐HDPE/R‐PET (70/30 w/w) blend toughened by SEBS, the dispersed PET domain size was significantly reduced with use of 2% PE‐g‐MA, and the impact strength of the resultant blend doubled. For blends with R‐PET matrix, all strengths were improved by adding MDI through extending the PET molecular chains. The crystalline behaviors of R‐HDPE and R‐PET in one‐phase rich systems influenced each other. The addition of PE‐g‐MA and SEBS consistently reduced the crystalline level (χ_c) of either the R‐PET or the R‐HDPE phase and lowered the crystallization peak temperature (T_c) of R‐PET. Further addition of MDI did not influence R‐HDPE crystallization behavior but lowered the χ_c of R‐PET in R‐PET rich blends. The thermal stability of R‐HDPE/R‐PET 70/30 and 50/50 (w/w) blends were improved by chain‐extension when 0.5% MDI was added. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

PE/PE‐g‐MAH/Org‐MMT nanocomposites. II. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics

The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene (PE)/PE‐grafted maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MAH)/organic‐montmorillonite (Org‐MMT) nanocomposite were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at various cooling rates. Avrami analysis modified by Jeziorny, Ozawa analysis, and a method developed by Liu well described the nonisothermal crystallization process of these samples. The difference in the exponent n, m, and a between HDPE and the nanocomposite indicated that nucleation mechanism and dimension of spherulite growth of the nanocomposite were different from that of HDPE to some extent. The values of half‐time (t_1/2), K(T), and F(T) showed that the crystallization rate increased with the increase of cooling rates for HDPE and composite, but the crystallization rate of composite was faster than that of HDPE at a given cooling rate. Moreover, the method proposed by Kissinger was used to evaluate the activation energy of the mentioned samples. It was 223.7 kJ/mol for composite, which was much smaller than that for HDPE (304.6 kJ/mol). Overall, the results indicated that the addition of Org‐MMT and PE‐g‐MAH could accelerate the overall nonisothermal crystallization process of PE. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3054–3059, 2004     

Waste‐reducing preparation of PE‐g‐MAH and PE‐g‐DBM via solid phase grafting reaction and their application as compatibilizers

Kinetics for grafting two reactive monomers (dibutyl maleate (DBM) and maleic anhydride (MAH)) on polyethylene (PE) was investigated for the modified PE (PE‐g‐MAH and PE‐g‐DBM) using solid phase grafting process. This process avoided solvent waste produced in solution process and high operation temperature in melt process. In the presence of the radical initiator, coupling reactions, between the PE and product, and macromolecular radicals, routinely form gels and/or increase molecular weight, resulting in a worse rheological behavior for the grafting products. By adding small amount of interface agents, using combined initiators and optimizing reactor design, graft copolymers with controlled grafting degrees and good rheological properties were prepared. The grafting degrees of copolymers were determined by chemical analysis. FTIR, DSC, and pure water contact angle characterized the chemical structure, the thermal property, and the hydrophilic property of the grafting copolymers, respectively. The peel strength of the graft copolymer as powder coating on the stainless steel surface was measured as high as 12–24 kgf/cm. Mechanical strength and toughness of PE/kaolin clay, PVC/CPE, and PVC/CPE/CaCO₃ alloys with small amount of the graft copolymer (～5 wt %) added were improved significantly. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3781–3790, 2006     

Effects of glycerol and PE‐g‐MA on morphology,thermal and tensile properties of LDPE and rice starch blends

The effects of glycerol and polyethylene‐grafted maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MA) on the morphology, thermal properties, and tensile properties of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) and rice starch blends were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry, and the Instron Universal Testing Machine, respectively. Blends of LDPE/rice starch, LDPE/rice starch/glycerol, and LDPE/rice starch/glycerol/PE‐g‐MA with different starch contents were prepared by using a laboratory scale twin‐screw extruder. The distribution of rice starch in LDPE matrix became homogenous after the addition of glycerol. The interfacial adhesion between rice starch and LDPE was improved by the addition of PE‐g‐MA as demonstrated by SEM. The crystallization temperatures of LDPE/rice starch/glycerol blends and LDPE/rice starch/glycerol/PE‐g‐MA blends were similar to that of pure LDPE but higher than that of LDPE/rice starch blends. Both the tensile strength and the elongation at break followed the order of rice starch/LDPE/glycerol/PE‐g‐MA blends > rice starch/LDPE/glycerol > LDPE/rice starch blends. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 344–350, 2004     

Gasoline permeation behavior and mechanical properties of polyamide 6/nanoclay,polyamide 6/PE‐g‐maleic anhydride blend,and polyamide 6/PE‐g‐maleic anhydride/clay nanocomposite

In this article, polyamide 6 (PA6)/clay nanocomposites, PA6/polyethylene grafted maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MA) blends, and PA6/PE‐g‐MA/clay nanocomposites were prepared and their gasoline permeation behavior and some mechanical properties were investigated. In PA6/clay nanocomposites, cloisite 30B was used as nanoparticles, with weight percentages of 1, 3, and 5. The blends of PA6/PE‐g‐MA were prepared with PE‐g‐MA weight percents of 10, 20, and 30. All samples were prepared via melt mixing technique using a twin screw extruder. The results showed that the lowest gasoline permeation occurred when using 3 wt % of nanoclay in PA6/clay nanocomposites, and 10 wt % of PE‐g‐MA in PA6/PE‐g‐MA blends. Therefore, a sample of PA6/PE‐g‐MA/clay nanocomposite containing 3 wt % of nanoclay and 10 wt % of PE‐g‐MA was prepared and its gasoline permeation behavior was investigated. The results showed that the permeation amount of PA6/PE‐g‐MA/nanoclay was 0.41 g m^?2 day^?1, while this value was 0.46 g m^?2 day^?1 for both of PA6/3wt % clay nanocomposite and PA6/10 wt % PE‐g‐MA blend. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40150.     

High‐frequency welding of thermoplastic LLDPE/PA 6/PE‐g‐MAH ternary blends

High frequency (HF) welding of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) melt blends with polyamide 6 (PA6) was done at 27.12 MHz using maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE‐g‐MAH) as compatibilizer. HF welding was not possible for the blends at room temperature, but possible at higher temperatures (50, 80°C) although the maximum relaxation frequency was lower than the operating frequency. Greater dielectric constant, dissipation factor, and welding performance were obtained when PA 6 was premixed with PE‐g‐MAH rather than the one‐shot process where all the components were mixed simultaneously. This was interpreted in terms of lowered viscosity of PA 6 phase, which encapsulates the flow effectively and provides great skin effect. Also, the peeling force of resin–resin was greater than resin–nylon mesh due to the higher melting temperature and vacancy of nylon mesh. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Toughening of polylactide with epoxy‐functionalized methyl methacrylate–butadiene copolymer

Glycidyl methacrylate‐functionalized methyl methacrylate–butadiene (MB‐g‐GMA) copolymers were prepared via an emulsion polymerization process. These functionalized copolymers were blended with polylactide (PLA). Dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the addition of MB‐g‐GMA did not result in a marked change in the glass transition temperature of PLA. With an increase of MB‐g‐GMA content, the tensile strength of the blends decreased; however, the elongation at break and impact strength increased significantly. From scanning electron micrographs, there was large plastic deformation (shear yielding) in blends subjected to impact tests, which was an important energy‐dissipation process and led to a toughened polymer. Rheological investigation demonstrated that there was a significant dependence of viscosity on composition. When the MB‐g‐GMA content increased, the viscosity began to increase. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry