Relationship between the interfacial tension and compatibility of polycarbonate and poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) blends with reactive compatibilizers

We studied the morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties of polycarbonate (PC) and poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (PolyABS) blends with different types of compatibilizer. Styrene-acrylonitrile-maleic anhydride terpolymer (SAM) was used as a compatibilizer of the blends. For comparison, styrene-acrylonitrile-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer (SAG) was also used as a compatibilizer. For the PC-PolyABS (70/30 wt %) blends with SAM, the mechanical strength and complex viscosity reached a maximum when the SAM concentration was 5 phr. The mechanical and rheological results of the blend were consistent with the morphological result that the PolyABS domain size reached a minimum when the SAM content was 5 phr. The interfacial tension () of the blend was compared with the compatibilizer type and content, which were calculated by the Palierne emulsion model with the relaxation time of the PC-PolyABS blend. The is consistent with the morphological and mechanical properties of the PC-PolyABS blend. The results of the morphological, mechanical, and rheological properties of the blend suggest that SAM was a more effective compatibilizer than SAG, and the optimum compatibilizer content of SAM was 5 phr. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46418.