The effect of blending sequence on phase morphology of nylon 6/ABS/SMA blends

The preparation process-dependent phase morphology of blends composed of nylon 6 and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) over a composition range of 30-70 wt% using a styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymer as the compatibilizing agent with a constant content (5phr) was investigated. The results of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation revealed that compared with the binary blends of nylon 6 and ABS, the existence of SMA caused a composition shift of phase inversion to a higher weight fraction of nylon 6 when ABS was blended with the preblended nylon 6/SMA blend, while the co-continuous structures could be observed over a considerably narrower composition range when nylon 6 was blended with the pre-blended ABS/SMA blend. An examination through dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests confirmed the results obtained with SEM. It is found that near the phase inversion region a remarkable change in the dynamic storage modulus (G') and the loss tangent (tan delta) appears. Moreover, the influence of blending sequence on the size of dispersed particles has been probed for uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of nylon 6 and ABS over a wide range of compositions below or beyond the phase inversion points. For the blends of ABS dispersed in a nylon 6 matrix, little discernible effects of blending sequence on particle size could be observed. Furthermore, there exists a significant difference in morphologies of the blends prepared by nylon 6 particles dispersing in a ABS matrix in cases of different blending sequences used. Some possible factors responsible for the above asymmetric behaviors have been proposed.