Use of zinc-neutralized ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymer ionomers as blend compatibilizers for nylon 6 and low-density polyethylene

The effect of the composition on the morphologies and properties of uncompatibilized and compatibilized blends of nylon 6 and low-density polyethylene were studied over a wide range of weight fractions. The uncompatibilized blends had substantially reduced mechanical properties after mixing, and this was almost certainly due to poor interfacial adhesion between the two polymers. The addition of a zinc-neutralized poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) ionomer (Surlyn(R) 9020) as a compatibilizer improved the mechanical properties in comparison with those of the material blended without the compatibilizer. The clearest evidence of this improvement came from dynamic mechanical studies; for selected blends with high polyethylene contents, the drop in the modulus corresponding to the transition of a solid to a melt occurred at higher temperatures with the added compatibilizer. This improvement in the properties was accompanied by a reduction in the dispersed-phase size due to the interaction between the ionic part of the ionomer and the amide groups of nylon 6, especially when nylon 6 was the dispersed phase of the blend. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.