Phase behavior and properties of in situ‐reinforcing elastomer composites based on thermoplastic elastomers and thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester

In situ reinforcing composites based on two elastomer matrices very different in melt viscosity, styrene–(ethylene butylene)–styrene triblock copolymer (Kraton G1650) and styrene–(ethylene propylene) diblock copolymer (Kraton G1701), and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP), Rodrun LC3000, were prepared using a twin‐screw extruder. The rheological behavior, morphology, mechanical and thermal properties of the blends containing various LC3000 contents were investigated. G1650 was found to have much higher shear viscosity than G1701. All neat components and their blends exhibited shear thinning behavior. Melt viscosity of the blends gradually decreased with increasing LC3000 contents. Despite a large difference in melt viscosity of the two matrices, the results showed that the fibrillar morphology was obtained for both as‐extruded strands of LC3000/G1650 and LC3000/G1701 with up to 30 wt % LC3000. At 40 wt % LC3000 or more, the lamellar structure was observed for both types of blends because of the coalescence of liquid TLCP threads that occurred during extrusion. The addition of LC3000 into both elastomer matrices enhanced the tensile modulus considerably whereas the extensibility remarkably decreased. The results obtained from thermogravimetric analysis suggested that an addition of LC3000 into both elastomer matrices improved the thermal resistance significantly in air, but not in nitrogen. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1610–1619, 2006     

Self‐reinforcing elastomer composites based on polyolefinic thermoplastic elastomer and thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer

In situ reinforcing elastomer composites based on Santoprene thermoplastic elastomer, a polymerized polyolefin compound of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer/polypropylene, and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP), Rodrun LC3000, were prepared using a single‐screw extruder. The rheological behavior, morphology, mechanical, and thermal properties of the blends containing various LC3000 contents were investigated. All neat components and their blends exhibited shear thinning behavior. With increasing TLCP content, processability became easier because of the decrease in melt viscosity of the blends. Despite the viscosity ratio of dispersed phase to the matrix phase for the blend system is lower than 0.14, most of TLCP domains in the blends containing 5–10 wt % LC3000 appeared as droplets. At 20 wt % LC3000 or more, the domain size of TLCP became larger because of the coalescence of liquid TLCP threads that occurred during extrusion. The addition of LC3000 into the elastomer matrix enhanced the initial tensile modulus considerably whereas the extensibility of the blends remarkably decreased with addition of high TLCP level (>.20 wt %). The incorporation of LC3000 into Santoprene slightly improved the thermal resistance both in nitrogen and in air. Dynamic mechanical analysis results clearly showed an enhancement in dynamic moduli for the blends with 20–30 wt % LC3000. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

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     

Thermotropic liquid‐crystalline copolyester (Rodrun LC3000)/thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS) in situ composites: II. Mechanical properties and morphology of monofilaments in comparison with extruded strands

Monofilaments of in situ composites were prepared from an immiscible blend of a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer (TLCP), Rodrun LC3000, and a thermoplastic elastomer, styrene–(ethylene butylene)–styrene (SEBS), by a melt spinning process. Mechanical properties and the morphology of the composite monofilaments were investigated and compared with those of the extruded strands previously reported. The stresses at all tensile strains of the composite monofilaments were much higher than those of the extruded strands. The tensile strengths of both extruded strands and monofilaments were comparable, but the elongation at break of monofilaments dropped considerably. The tension sets of composite monofilaments were slightly higher than those of extruded strands. All composite monofilaments with TLCP content of ≤15 wt % exhibited good elastic recovery under the applied strain up to 200%. The dynamic mechanical storage modulus at 25°C of 10 wt % TLCP composite monofilament increased fourfold compared with that of the composite extruded strand and fivefold compared with that of the neat SEBS monofilament. The dramatic enhancement in the mechanical properties of in situ composite monofilaments is due to the formation of finer and longer TLCP fibrils (length‐to‐width ratio > 100) than those formed in the extruded strands. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 518–524, 2003     

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     

Structure and properties of polyamides‐epoxidized elastomers blends

Blends of aliphatic polyamides (PA6, PA66, and PA12), containing 0–15 wt % nonepoxidized or epoxidized elastomers (statistical copolymer butadiene–styrene BS/EBS or linear block copolymer styrene–butadiene–styrene SBS/ESBS) were investigated. For PA6‐elastomer blends, taken as an example, it was shown that with increasing blending time, mechanical properties of blends increase, especially, if ESBS copolymer is used. It can be treated as an indirect sign of reactions between components. It was also found that in blends considerable changes of glass temperatures of components occur. Polyamides in blends with elastomers have smaller heats of fusion in comparison with virgin polyamides. It testifies to hindering of PA crystallization by elastomers. In some cases, significant shifts of melting points are also observed. Measurements of water contact angle show that all blends have very similar values of contact angles, which are lower than those of virgin polyamides. Elastomer content does not also affect the blend water uptake. However, it depends on the polyamide and elastomer type contrary to contact angle. Highest water uptake changes are observed in blends of PA66, especially for epoxidized elastomers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1872–1879, 2006     

Liquid crystalline copolyester/polyethylene in situ composite film: Rheology,morphology, molecular orientation,and tensile properties

A thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester (TLCP) was blended with low density polyethylene using a corotating twin screw extruder and then fabricated by extrusion through a miniextruder as cast film. Rheological behavior, morphology, and tensile properties of the blends were investigated. Melt viscosities of neat components and blends measured by using plate‐and‐plate and capillary rheometers at 240°C, in the shear rate range 1–10⁴ s^?1, showed similar shear thinning effect. The viscosity values measured by the two techniques in the overlapping range of shear rate are found to be identical, which is in accord with the Cox–Merz rule. Addition of TLCP slightly reduces the matrix melt viscosity. TLCP dispersed phase in the extruded strand appeared in the form of spherical droplets. These droplets were elongated into fibrils with high aspect ratio (length to width) at the film extrusion step. As a result, the Young's modulus in machine direction (MD) of the composite film was greatly enhanced. At 20 wt % of TLCP, the MD Young's modulus was found to be about 16‐fold increase compared to that of the neat polyethylene film. However, the elongation at break sharply dropped with the increase of TLCP content. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 561–567, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10307     

Application of styrene‐acrylonitrile random copolymer–polyarylate block copolymer as reactive compatibilizer for polyamide and acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene blends

Styrene‐acrylonitrile random copolymer (SAN) and polyarylate (PAr) block copolymer were applied as a reactive compatibilizer for polyamide‐6 (PA‐6)/acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) copolymer blends. The SAN–PAr block copolymer was found to be effective for compatibilization of PA‐6/ABS blends. With the addition of 3.0–5.0 wt % SAN–PAr block copolymer, the ABS‐rich phase could be reduced to a smaller size than 1.0 μm in the 70/30 and 50/50 PA‐6/ABS blends, although it was several microns in the uncompatibilized blends. As a result, for the blends compatibilized with 3–5 wt % block copolymer the impact energy absorption reached the super toughness region in the 70/30 and 50/50 PA‐6/ABS compositions. The compatibilization mechanism of PA‐6/ABS by the SAN–PAr block copolymer was investigated by tetrahydrofuran extraction of the SAN–PAr block copolymer/PA‐6 blends and the model reactions between the block copolymer and low molecular weight compounds. The results of these experiments indicated that the SAN–PAr block copolymer reacted with the PA‐6 during the melt mixing process via an in situ transreaction between the ester units in the PAr chain and the terminal amine in the PA‐6. As a result, SAN–PAr/PA‐6 block copolymers were generated during the melt mixing process. The SAN–PAr block copolymer was supposed to compatibilize the PA‐6 and ABS blend by anchoring the PAr/PA‐6 and SAN chains to the PA‐6 and ABS phases, respectively. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2300–2313, 2002     

Effect of the composition of α-MSAN copolymer on the miscibility of PVC/α-MSAN blends

A series of α-methylstyrene, styrene, and acrylonitrile (α-MSAN) copolymers with different acrylonitrile (AN) contents were synthesized by altering α-MSt, St, and AN ratios with emulsion copolymerization method. By melt-blending these copolymers with PVC resin and di-isooctyl phthalate (DOP), PVC/α-MSAN, and PVC/α-MSAN/DOP blends were prepared. The miscibility and morphology of the blends were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscopy. The PVC is immiscible with SAN by melt-mixing, whereas PVC is miscible with α-MSAN (α-MSt/St = 1/1) if AN weight percent is within the window range of 20–25 wt %, and α-MSAN (not containing St) with 35 wt % AN is miscible with PVC even when they are blended by melt-mixing. Replacement of styrene with α-methylstyrene widens the miscibility window with PVC. The miscibility of PVC/α-MSAN blends is substantially improved with the increasing α-MSt content in α-MSAN copolymer containing identical AN content. When DOP was introduced into the PVC/α-MSAN (α-MSt/St = 1/1) blends, a single tan δ peak over room temperature in DMA detection is found as AN content in α-MSAN copolymer is within the range of 15–25 wt %, and SEM observation also shows that the blends are homogeneous. When the AN content in α-MSAN copolymer is over 35 wt %, the presence of DOP causes the phase domain extended. The phase domain size of the PVC/α-MSAN/DOP blends intensively depends on AN content in α-MSAN copolymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/linear low‐density polyethylene blends through physical processing

Poly(styrene‐ethylene/butylene‐styrene) (SEBS) was used as a compatibilizer to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)/linear low‐density polyethylene (R‐PET/LLDPE) blends. The blends compatibilized with 0–20 wt % SEBS were prepared by low‐temperature solid‐state extrusion. The effect of SEBS content was investigated using scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimeter, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and mechanical property testing. Morphology observation showed that the addition of 10 wt % SEBS led to the deformation of dispersed phase from spherical to fibrous structure, and microfibrils were formed at the interface between two phases in the compatibilized blends. Both differential scanning calorimeter and DMA results revealed that the blend with 20 wt % SEBS showed better compatibility between PET and LLDPE than other blends studied. The addition of 20 wt % of SEBS obviously improved the crystallizibility of PET as well as the modulus of the blends. DMA analysis also showed that the interaction between SEBS and two other components enhanced at high temperature above 130°C. The impact strength of the blend with 20 wt % SEBS increased of 93.2% with respect to the blend without SEBS, accompanied by only a 28.7% tensile strength decrease. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Microstructural characteristics of glass bead‐ and wollastonite‐filled isotactic‐polypropylene composites modified with thermoplastic elastomers

Microstructural characteristics of isotactic‐polypropylene/glass bead (iPP/GB) and iPP/wollastonite (iPP/W) composites modified with thermoplastic elastomers, poly(styrene‐b‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐b‐styrene) copolymer (SEBS) and corresponding block copolymer grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS‐g‐MA), were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) showed that the iPP/SEBS and iPP/SEBS‐g‐MA blends were partially compatible two‐phase systems. Well‐dispersed spherical GB and acicular W particles without evidence of interfacial adhesion were observed in the iPP/GB and iPP/W binary composites respectively. Contrary to the blends, melt flow rates of the iPP/GB and PP/W composites decreased more with SEBS‐g‐MA than with SEBS because of enhanced interfacial adhesion with SEBS‐g‐MA elastomer. The SEM analyses showed that the ternary composites containing SEBS exhibited separate dispersion of the rigid filler and elastomer particles (i.e., separate microstructure). However, SEBS‐g‐MA elastomer not only encapsulated the spherical GB and acicular W particles completely with strong interfacial adhesion (i.e., core‐shell microstructure) but also dispersed separately throughout iPP matrix. In accordance with the SEM observations, the DSC and DMA revealed quantitatively that the rigid filler and SEBS particles in iPP matrix acted individually, whereas the rigid filler particles in the ternary composites containing SEBS‐g‐MA acted like elastomer particles because of the thick elastomer interlayer around the filler particles. The Fourier transform infrared analyses revealed an esterification reaction inducing the strong interfacial adhesion between the SEBS‐g‐MA phase and the filler particles. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1265–1284, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

In situ modulus enhancement of polypropylene monofilament through blending with a liquid‐crystalline copolyester

An immiscible blend of poly(propylene) (PP) with a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer (TLCP, trade name Rodrun LC5000), a copolyester of 80/20 mol ratio of p‐hydroxy benzoic acid and polyethylene terephthalate was prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. The blend extrudate was fabricated as monofilament by using a single‐screw extruder equipped with a fiber line. The as‐spun filament was drawn at 120°C to enhance molecular orientation. Morphology, thermal, tensile, and dynamic mechanical properties of both as‐spun and drawn monofilaments were investigated. Almost continuously long TLCP fibers dispersed in PP matrix were obtained in the composite as‐spun monofilaments. The maximum modulus was found in 15 wt % TLCP/PP composite as‐spun filament, an increase of about 2.4 times that of the as‐spun neat PP. For the drawn filaments, the 10 wt % TLCP/PP composite showed a maximum modulus, an increase of about 1.5 times that of the drawn neat PP. The increase in the moduli was attributed not only to the reinforcement by TLCP fibrils with very high aspect ratio but also to the increases in PP crystallinity and molecular orientation through the drawing process. A remarkable improvement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the composite monofilaments was observed, especially in the high‐temperature region. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90:1337–1346, 2003     

Melt processing,mechanical, and fatigue crack propagation properties of reactively compatibilized blends of polyamide 6 and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymer

Within a IUPAC study, melt processing, mechanical, and fatigue crack growth properties of blends of polyamide 6 (PA 6) and poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS) were investigated. We focused on the influence of reactive compatibilization on blend properties using a styrene–acrylonitrile–maleic anhydride random terpolymer (SANMA). Two series of PA 6/ABS blends with 30 wt % PA 6 and 70 wt % PA 6, respectively, were prepared with varying amounts of SANMA. Our experiments revealed that the morphology of the matrix (PA 6 or ABS) strongly affects the blend properties. The viscosity of PA 6/ABS blends monotonically increases with SANMA concentration because of the formation of high‐molecular weight graft copolymers. The extrudate swell of the blends was much larger than that of neat PA 6 and ABS and decreased with increasing SANMA concentrations at a constant extrusion pressure. This observation can be explained by the effect of the capillary number. The fracture resistance of these blends, including specific work to break and impact strength, is lower than that of PA 6 or ABS alone, but increases with SANMA concentration. This effect is most strongly pronounced for blends with 70 wt % PA 6. Fatigue crack growth experiments showed that the addition of 1–2 wt % SANMA enhances the resistance against crack propagation for ABS‐based blends. The correlation between blend composition, morphology and processing/end‐use properties of reactively compatibilized PA 6/ABS blends is discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Enhancement of the tensile retraction properties of a styrenic block copolymer by melt blending with PA6

Styrene–ethylene‐propylene–styrene triblock copolymer (SEPS), a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) was blended with polyamide‐6 (PA6) in an attempt to improve the retraction properties of the TPE. A maximum loading of 30 wt % of polyamide was incorporated into SEPS using twin‐screw compounding. Various reactive compatibilisers were also incorporated at a maximum loading of 10 wt %. The blends were evaluated in terms of their tensile, dynamic mechanical, and rheological behavior. Design of experiments (DOE) was used to study the effect of blending variables on the tensile properties of the blends. Complex interactions between these variables were identified using this approach. It was shown that by incorporating PA6 into SEPS, in conjunction with a compatibilizer, blends with superior retraction properties and increased tensile strength could be obtained. A mean hysteresis of 54.2 ± 0.7% was recorded for a blend containing 5 wt % PA6 and 4 wt % compatibilizer compared to 58.5 ± 0.5% for virgin SEPS. The tensile strength of this blend was almost 75% higher than virgin SEPS. Further evidence of the benefit of incorporating a reactive compatibilizer was the absence of a distinct polyamide relaxation in the dynamic mechanical thermograms for the compatibilized blends. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effect of the elastomer type on the microstructure and mechanical properties of polypropylene

In this study, the effects of the elastomer type—ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM), three kinds of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA 9, EVA 18, and EVA 28, where the number is the vinyl acetate concentration), and styrene–butadiene–styrene—and content on the microstructure and mechanical and thermal properties of isotactic polypropylene (i‐PP) blends were investigated. Five different elastomer concentrations (3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 wt %) were added to i‐PP to produce polypropylene/elastomer blends. The yield and tensile strengths, elastic modulus, impact strength, hardness, melt flow index (MFI), and structural properties of the blends were investigated. The tensile and yield strengths, elastic modulus, and hardness decreased gradually, whereas the impact strength and MFI increased as the elastomer content increased. As a result, with respect to the impact strength, the most effective elastomers were EPDM with 15 wt % and EVA 28 with 15 wt % for higher impact strength values. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1445–1450, 2005     

Blends of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and a thermoplastic elastomer. I: Mechanical properties and morphology

Blends of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), Vectra A900, and a thermoplastic elastomer, Kraton G1650, were made on a single screw extruder. During extrusion, fibers of the LCP are formed under influence of shearing and elongating forces. The stiffness and tensile strength of the elastomer are greatly improved by the addition of the LCP. The modulus of elasticity of blends containing up to 20% LCP can be described well with the Halpin-Tsai equation. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) measurements show that the polymers are immiscible, but the DMTA results show a shift of the glass transition temperature of the elastomeric block of the Kraton polymer. This shift may be attributed to a layer of elastomer adsorbed on the LCP particles.     

Toughening of polypropylene with styrene/ethylene‐butylene/styrene tri‐block copolymer: Effects of mixing condition and elastomer content

The effect of processing conditions and elastomer content on the toughening of Polypropylene (PP) by melt blending with styrene/ethylene‐butylene/styrene tri‐block copolymer (SEBS) in a twin‐screw extruder has been investigated. The parameters analyzed were: temperature profile, screw speed, and feed rate of the blend components. Their effect was evaluated through the mechanical properties (tensile strength and Izod impact resistance at room temperature) as well as the morphology of the dispersed phase by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the impact resistance increases with increasing rotor speed and feed rate and decreases when the temperature profile is increased. The parameter with the greatest effect on the mechanical properties was the variation in rotor speed. Despite the fact that impact resistance as high as 25 times that of neat PP has been achieved with blends containing 20 wt % SEBS, no significant modification in phase morphology has been observed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2185–2193, 2001     

Direct miniemulsification of Kraton rubber/styrene solution. I. Effect of Manton–Gaulin homogenizer,sonifier, and membrane filtration

A direct miniemulsification process was utilized to prepare an artificial latex from a Kraton® D1102 thermoplastic elastomer. The Kraton rubber was dissolved in a styrene monomer and emulsified in an aqueous surfactant solution in the presence of a costabilizer using a sonifier, a Manton–Gaulin homogenizer, and membrane filtration. Each miniemulsion droplet contained 20 wt % Kraton rubber in styrene, and, thus, the Kraton rubber particle size and size distribution can be used to estimate the droplet size and size distribution of the miniemulsion. It was found that Kraton rubber particles obtained using the Manton–Gaulin homogenizer had an extremely broad size distribution ranging from 20 nm to 2 μm. The use of a cetyl alcohol costabilizer produced Kraton rubber particles with a narrower size distribution by lowering the interfacial tension between the oil and aqueous phases, compared to the use of hexadecane as a costabilizer. The broad size distribution of the Kraton rubber particles could be narrowed by employing a membrane‐filtration technique. However, small miniemulsion droplets remained undisturbed in the miniemulsion since they easily passed through the pores of the filter. These small droplets resulted from the sonification process conducted prior to the use of the membrane‐filtration process. The Kraton rubber particle‐size distribution became narrow with an increase in the sonifier duty cycle due to the viscoelastic behavior of the oil phase. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 451–464, 2003     

Toughening of recycled polystyrene used for TV backset

The recycled polystyrene (rPS) was toughened with ethylene‐octylene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer (POE) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) with various melt flow index (MFI), compatibilized by styrene‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer (SBS) to enhance the toughness of rPS for use as TV backset. The rPS/POE binary blends exhibited an increased impact strength with 5–10 wt % POE content followed by a decrease with the POE content up to 20 wt %, which could be due to poor compatibility between POE and rPS. For rPS/POE/SBS ternary blends with 20 wt % of POE content, the impact strength increased dramatically and a sharp brittle‐ductile transition was observed as the SBS content was around 3–5 wt %. Rheological study indicated a possible formation of network structure by adding of SBS, which could be a new mechanism for rPS toughening. In rPS/POE/HDPE/SBS (70/20/5/5) quaternary blends, a fibril‐like structure was observed as the molecular weight of HDPE was higher (with lower MFI). The presence of HDPE fibers in the blends could not enhance the network structure, but could stop the crack propagation during fracture process, resulting in a further increase of the toughness. The prepared quaternary blend showed an impact strength of 9.3 kJ/m² and a tensile strength of 25 MPa, which can be well used for TV backset to substitute HIPS because this system is economical and environmental friendly. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

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