Remarkably improved toughness and thermal stability of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/poly (α-methylstyrene-acrylonitrile) (α-MSAN) blend with the assistance of two impact modifiers

The key drawback of impact modifier-toughened polymer is that the improved toughness is accompanied by loss in stiffness. Surprisingly, poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/poly (alpha-methylstyrene-acrylonitrile) (alpha-MSAN) blend was toughened without loss in stiffness by simply combining two impact modifiers chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) and acrylic resin (ACR). The prepared blend's impact strength was 3.0 times higher than PVC/alpha-MSAN/CPE blend and 18.6 times higher than pure PVC/alpha-MSAN blend. An impressive thermal stabilizing effect was also achieved when CPE and ACR were combined. The improved, toughness could be attributed to the overlap of the stress field between different impact modifiers, which help to form the continuum percolation of stress volume under impact loading. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.