BLENDS OF MODIFIED POLYCARBONATE AND HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE

In this work, blends of polycarbonate and a high density polyethylene were investigated through their morphology, mechanical properties, and the effect of compatibilizers: a copolymer styrene-butadiene-styrene and an ionomer. Blending was performed in the melt state at 220-degrees-C, and the concentration of the compatibilizers was varied from 1% to 5% by weight. In the case of the copolymer modified blend, the results showed no change in the mechanical properties compared to the neat blend, whereas the morphology showed that the copolymer might interact with only one phase. For the ionomer, the addition of 1% increased the Young's modulus and the tensile strength of the blend. For the morphology, a large change in the size of the dispersed phase (polyethylene) is observed. This was attributed to the compatibility of the ethylene group of the ionomer with the minor phase, and the reaction between the carbonate group of polycarbonate (PC) and the acid group of the ionomer. An investigation on the binary blends of PC and the ionomer showed the occurrence of a chemical reaction that might be of a transesterification type. Differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared techniques were used to characterize these blends.