Premium
Observation of morphology in EPDM/nylon copolymer thermoplastic vulcanizates by atomic force microscopy
Author(s) -
Huang Hua,
Ikehara Takayuki,
Nishi Toshio
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.12629
Subject(s) - materials science , electron paramagnetic resonance , ethylene propylene rubber , compatibilization , copolymer , natural rubber , thermoplastic , composite material , polymer blend , thermoplastic elastomer , maleic anhydride , morphology (biology) , phase (matter) , epdm rubber , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , nuclear magnetic resonance , biology , engineering , genetics
A thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) of an ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) and nylon copolymer (PA) was prepared. Maleic anhydride‐grafted EPDM (EPDM‐ g ‐MAH) and MAH‐grafted EPR (EPR‐ g ‐MAH) were used as compatibilizers and sulfur was used as a curative. The phase morphology of EPDM/PA TPVs was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM images showed that, although there was a compatibilization reaction between EPDM‐ g ‐MAH and PA, phase inversion always existed for EPDM/EPDM‐ g ‐MAH/PA TPVs and the rubber phase could be finely dispersed in the PA matrix with an increasing compatibilizer content. For TPVs using EPR‐ g ‐MAH as a compatibilizer, three phases existed because of noncrosslinkability of EPR by sulfur. Crosslinked EPDM particles dispersed in a comatrix of PA and EPR‐ g ‐MAH could be observed by increasing the content of EPR‐ g ‐MAH to 26 wt %. For an EPR‐ g ‐MAH content of 26 wt %, the uncrosslinked EPR‐ g ‐MAH existing in the interface between crosslinked EPDM and PA tended to coalesce and thus resulted in a morphology of large rubber regions composed of small crosslinked particles. When the dosage of EPR‐ g ‐MAH was 52 wt %, the phase morphology of the blends changed to being one of PA and crosslinked EPDM particles dispersed in the MAH‐ g ‐EPR matrix. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1242–1248, 2003