Premium
Investigation on the mechanical performances of ternary nylon 6/SEBS elastomer/nano‐SiO 2 hybrid composites with controlled morphology
Author(s) -
Zhang Baoqing,
Wong Julia ShukPing,
Shi Dean,
Yam Richard ChingMan,
Li Robert KwokYiu
Publication year - 2009
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.30185
Subject(s) - materials science , elastomer , composite material , nanocomposite , microstructure , scanning electron microscope , nano , izod impact strength test , toughness , composite number , ultimate tensile strength
The distribution of maleated styrene‐hydrogenated butadiene‐styrene (mSEBS) elastomer and nano‐SiO 2 in nylon 6 matrix was controlled by varying the blending procedure. Nano‐SiO 2 particles with different surface properties (hydrophilic versus hydrophobic) were adopted to adjust their interactions with other components. Two different structures, separate dispersion of nano‐SiO 2 and elastomer particles as well as encapsulation of nano‐SiO 2 fillers by the elastomer, were obtained. The structures were confirmed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation. The mechanical measurement results showed that the microstructure and the interactions among the components had dramatic influences on the final mechanical properties, especially Izod fracture toughness, for the ternary nanocomposites. The nanocomposites containing hydrophilic nano‐SiO 2 had better mechanical performances compared with the composites filled with hydrophobic SiO 2 when they were in the same microstructure. The nanocomposites with separate dispersion structure showed higher stiffness compared with those of encapsulation type. However, the separately dispersed nano‐SiO 2 particles restricted the cavitation of elastomer phases that led to low toughening effectiveness. The difference of cavitation intensity for elastomer phase was revealed by SEM investigation on the facture surfaces for the nanocomposites with the two different microstructures. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010