Structure and Properties of PPO/PP Blends Compatibilized by Triblock Copolymer SEBS and SEPS

Morphology, mechanical behavior and other properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) blends were studied. Large PPO particle sizes or delamination were found in binary iPP/PPO blends when no compatibilizers were added, while fracture toughness of the binary alloy was higher than that of both pure iPP and PPO. The addition of compatibilizers, triblock copolymers SEBS and SEPS, tremendously improved PPO particle dispersion and particle-matrix interfacial adhesion in iPP. The results of mechanical properties of the ternary iPP/PPO/compatibilizer blends showed that the compatiblization of SEPS is better than that of SEBS.