Morphological, mechanical and rheological properties of poly(acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene)/polycarbonate/poly(ε-caprolactone) ternary blends

The effects of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) on poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC) blends were studied. Blends of ABS/PC (70/30, wt%) with PCL as a compatibilizer were prepared by a twin screw extruder. From the glass transition temperature (T-g) results of the ABS/PC blends with PCL, the T-g (PC) of the ABS/PC (70/30) blends decreased with increasing PCL content. From the results of the morphology of the ABS/PC (70/30) blends with PCL, the phase separation between the ABS and PC phases became less significant after adding PCL in the ABS/PC blends. In addition, the morphological studies of the ABS/PC blends etched by NaOH indicated that the shape of the droplet was changed from regular round to irregular round by adding PCL in the ABS/PC blends. These results for the mechanical properties of the ABS/PC blends with PCL indicated that the tensile, flexural and impact strengths of the ABS/PC (70/30) blends peaked at a PCL content of 0.5 phr. From the results for the rheological properties of the ABS/PC (70/30) blends with PCL content, the storage modulus, loss modulus and complex viscosity increased at PCL content up to 5 phr. From the above results of the T-g mechanical properties, morphology and complex viscosity of the ABS/PC blends with PCL, it was concluded that the compatibility was increased with PCL addition in the ABS/PC (70/30, wt%) blends and that the optimum concentration of PCL as a compatibilizer is 0.5 phr.