Reactive blending of PE-GMA/PA6 effect of composition and processing conditions

Blends of ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (PE-GMA) and polyamide 6 (PA6) were prepared in a corotating twin screw extruder. Two processing temperatures were used in order to disperse PA6 in two forms: at high temperature in the molten state in molted PE-GMA Matrix (emulsion type mixture) and at lower temperature as fillers in molted PEGMA matrix (suspension type mixture). Processed blends were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical experiments to probe the reactivity in the extruder and the compatibilization phenomena. The dependence of the morphology and the rheological properties of PE-GMA/PA6 blends on blend composition and screw rotational speed was also investigated and is discussed in the paper. The results show that dispersion of the two polymers in the molten state leads to a higher level of interfacial reaction. They also show that whatever the screw rotational speed and the temperature of extrusion are, the rate of interfacial reaction in PE-GMA/PA6 blends is higher for 50/50 PE-GMA/PA blends than for 70/30 PE-GMA/PA blends. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.