Interfacial enrichment of a compatibilizing graft copolymer in a partially miscible polymer blend

Poly(alkyl acrylate-g-caprolactone) graft copolymers were prepared and applied as compatibilizing graft copolymer in polycarbonate (PC)/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) blends. Incompatible poly(alkyl acrylate) segments were incorporated into the graft copolymer in order to localize the copolymer at the PC/ABS interface. The blend containing 1 part of copolymer per hundred of resin (phr) showed an improvement in impact strength as well as percentage elongation at break. Impact improvement was quite prominent with a thinner test specimen of 3 mm thickness. A morphological study showed that the presence of the graft copolymer led to smoother PC/ABS interface due to interfacial enrichment of the graft copolymer. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.