EFFECT OF POLYAMIDE FUNCTIONALITY ON THE MORPHOLOGY AND TOUGHNESS OF BLENDS WITH A FUNCTIONALIZED BLOCK COPOLYMER

Previous work has shown that blends of a maleic anhydride functionalized triblock copolymer (with an ethylene/butene mid-block and styrene end-blocks, or SEBS-g-MA) with nylon-6,6 gives super-tough materials with complex-shaped rubber particles that are just below the upper critical particle size for toughening. Similar blends of SEBS-g-MA with nylon-6 are not toughened because the rubber particles are evidently too small, i.e. below a proposed lower critical size for toughening. It was further proposed that this difference in morphology stems from the difunctional (nylon-6,6) versus monofunctional (nylon-6) character of these polyamides for reaction with anhydrides. This proposal is supported here by the observation that blends of SEBS-g-MA with nylon-12,12 give large complex rubber particles like those in nylon-6,6 while nylon- 11 and nylon- 12 give smaller particles like nylon-6. Further support of this notion is provided by blending nylon-6 with other polyamides in an attempt to produce a chemically modified matrix. Addition of 10% nylon-6,6, poly(m-xylene adipamide) (MXD6) and nylon-12,12 to the nylon-6 matrix (under conditions that cause phase homogenization by interchange reactions) leads to rubber particle enlargement and toughening, while addition of nylon-11 or nylon-12 does not lead to either particle enlargement or toughening. Possible effects of rheological factors, extent of interchange reactions, interfacial tension and end-group contents are discussed.