Blends of polyamide 6, polycarbonate,and poly(propylene oxide). I. Reactive compatibilization–morphology relationships

The relationship between reactive compatibilization and morphology of the polyamide 6–polycarbonate (PA6–PC) and polyamide 6–polycarbonate–poly(pro-pylene oxide) (PA6–PC–PPO) blends were investigated by means of torque values, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The micrographs show that the blends processed for a long period of time presented a PC domain of smaller size and better adherence between the phases than the blends processed for a short period of time. This fact can be related with the presence of the block copolymer of PA6–PC synthesized in situ by the reaction of PA6 and PC and depend on temperature and mixing time. The presence of PPO does not impede the formation of copolymer but interferes on the size of the domain. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 857–864, 1998