| Abstract: | A series of blends was prepared with broad concentration ranges of polycarbonate (PC) and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN) containing 5.5 and 30 weight percent acrylonitrile (AN). These blends were then injection molded, and their properties were measured and correlated with the morphologies of the blends (as determined by transmission electron microscopy). The toughness properties were shown to be discontinuous and very sensitive to composition of the continuous phase in the blends. The dart impact toughness remained high up to 30–40 weight percent SAN and dropped rapidly above this SAN concentration. The notched Izod toughness fell off rapidly at 10 weight percent SAN and greater. The strength and modulus had a more linear dependence on composition. Results of studies of the Tg by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) show the presence of two phases over the entire concentration and a small solubility of each phase in the other. The heat distortion temperature under load (DTUL) of the blends approximated a linear additivity curve for the components. As expected, the blends had much better clarity where the refractive indexes more nearly match (in the case of the 5.5 percent AN copolymer). |
