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Use of zinc‐neutralized ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer ionomers as blend compatibilizers for nylon 6 and low‐density polyethylene
Author(s) -
Leewajanakul Panita,
Pattanaolarn Rungravee,
Ellis John W.,
Nithitanakul Manit,
Grady Brian P.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.11898
Subject(s) - ionomer , materials science , compatibilization , polyethylene , polymer blend , copolymer , methacrylic acid , dynamic mechanical analysis , nylon 6 , polymer chemistry , composite material , polymer , ethylene , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering , catalysis
The effect of the composition on the morphologies and properties of uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of nylon 6 and low‐density polyethylene were studied over a wide range of weight fractions. The uncompatibilized blends had substantially reduced mechanical properties after mixing, and this was almost certainly due to poor interfacial adhesion between the two polymers. The addition of a zinc‐neutralized poly(ethylene‐ co ‐methacrylic acid) ionomer (Surlyn® 9020) as a compatibilizer improved the mechanical properties in comparison with those of the material blended without the compatibilizer. The clearest evidence of this improvement came from dynamic mechanical studies; for selected blends with high polyethylene contents, the drop in the modulus corresponding to the transition of a solid to a melt occurred at higher temperatures with the added compatibilizer. This improvement in the properties was accompanied by a reduction in the dispersed‐phase size due to the interaction between the ionic part of the ionomer and the amide groups of nylon 6, especially when nylon 6 was the dispersed phase of the blend. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 620–629, 2003