| Abstract: | Hydrogenated and maleated S-B-S block copolymer (SEBS-g-MA) was applied as a compatibilizer in melt-mixed binary blends with poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) and in ternaries containing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as the major component. The techniques applied were dynamic, mechanical, and tensile testing; differential thermal analysis; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; and optical and electron microscopy (SEM). Small and large deformation behavior under dynamic and static mode, coupled with other physical characterization data, as well as morphological evidence, demonstrated that SEBS-g-MA is an efficient compatibilizer in the binary and ternary blends. In the latter, its function is the coupling of EVOH with the HDPE matrix, thus reducing the moisture sensitivity of the former and the improvement of performance-to-cost ratio of the final product. After leaching out EVOH from the ternaries, morphology examination of the cross section of films, showed a laminar EVOH phase distribution, a feature desirable in barrier materials applications. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 589–596, 1998 |
