Polyamide reinforced EPDM compatibilized with maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-propylene-diene rubber

Vulcanizates of blends of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) and polyamide (PA) copolymer were prepared by reactive compatibilization. A reactive route was employed to compatibilize these blends by the addition of maleic anhydride EPDM (MAH-g-EPDM). In this paper, the influence of compatibilizers, crosslinking agents, and blend composition on the mechanical properties of the blends were investigated. The morphologies of the blends were determined by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the addition of MAH-g-EPDM reduced the particle size of the dispersed phase remarkably. The stability of the blend was measured by thermal ageing at high temperature in the presence of compatibilizer. Both dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of MAH-g-EPDM addition on the T(g)s of the blend components. The addition of PA copolymer caused significant improvement in the tensile properties of these blends.