Plastic waste minimization: Compatibilization of polypropylene/polyamide 6 blends by polyalkenyl-poly-maleic-anhydride-based agents

Abstract

The present article discloses the properties improvement in PP/PA 6 blends by new type experimental coupling additives. By the experimental agents especially the tensile properties could be improved. For example, the tensile strength and the elongation were 16.5 MPa and 4.4% without additive, which increased to 25.5, 20.1, 46.8 MPa and 8.1, 6.4, 8.6% in specimens containing polyalkenyl-poly-maleic-anhydride-amide, polyalkenyl-poly-maleic-anhydride- ester, and MA-grafted-low-polymer additives, respectively. DSC curves shows that compatibilizers influenced thermal properties of the polymer blends and reveal affecting of crystalline phase formation process in the blends due to the compatibilization step. Additives A and B rather leads to influencing of PA crystallinities. According to the SEM and FTIR analysis well separated polypropylene and polyamide phases was observed in case of specimens absence of additives but only one well distributed phase by the applying of the synthetized coupling agents. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.