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Novel reactive compatibilization strategy on immiscible polypropylene and polystyrene blend
Author(s) -
Hung ChenJui,
Chuang HungYang,
Chang FengChih
Publication year - 2007
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.25201
Subject(s) - compatibilization , maleic anhydride , materials science , reactive extrusion , polypropylene , polymer chemistry , polystyrene , copolymer , polymer blend , styrene , epoxy , monomer , composite material , polymer
Polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) are immiscible and incompatible. Since both PP and PS components possess no reactive functional group, reactive compatibilization of a PP/PS blend is impossible unless certain reactive functional groups are imparted to either PP or PS. In this study we provide a simple approach to reactively compatibilize the nonreactive PP/PS blend system by physically functionalizing PP and PS with the addition of maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP‐ g ‐MA) and styrene maleic anhydride random copolymer (SMA), respectively. An epoxy monomer, serving as a coupler and possessing four epoxy groups able to react with the maleic anhydride of PP‐ g ‐MA and SMA, was then added during melt blending. Observations of the finer PS domain sizes and improved mechanical properties support the plausibility of reactive compatibilization of this nonreactive PP/PS blend by combining physically functionalized PP and PS with tetra‐glycidyl ether of diphenyl diamino methane (TGDDM) in a one‐step extrusion process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008