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Using Nanosilica to Fine‐Tune Morphology and Properties of Polyamide 6/Poly(propylene) Blends
Author(s) -
Laoutid Fouad,
François Damien,
Paint Yoann,
Bonnaud Leila,
Dubois Philippe
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201200047
Subject(s) - materials science , polyamide , coalescence (physics) , morphology (biology) , polymer blend , extrusion , composite material , compounding , polymer , chemical engineering , copolymer , physics , astrobiology , biology , engineering , genetics
The effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanosilica on the morphological, mechanical and thermal properties of polyamide 6 (PA) and poly(propylene) (PP) blends is investigated by extrusion compounding. Depending on the difference between the polymer/nanoparticle interfacial tensions, different morphologies are obtained as highlighted by TEM and SEM. Hydrophobic nanosilica migrates mainly at the PA/PP interface, which leads to a clear refinement of PP droplet size. The macroscopic properties of the hybrid blends are discussed and interpreted in relation with the blend morphology and melt‐mixing procedure. The control over coalescence allows a morphology refinement of the blends and improves mechanical properties.