CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYAMIDE-6 MADE BY REACTIVE EXTRUSION .1. SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PROPERTIES

The anionic, polymerisation of epsilon-caprolactam in a corotating, intermeshing twin-screw extruder is discussed in terms of the materials formulation, extruder screw profile, and processing parameters such as temperature and screw speed. Using a variety of analytical characterization techniques, it is demonstrated that molecular mass, residual monomer content, and mechanical properties of the polyamide 6 are very sensitive to the reactive processing conditions employed. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.