Miscibility and rheological properties of poly(vinyl chloride)/styrene-acrylonitrile blends prepared by melt extrusion

Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) with acrylonitrile (AN) concentrations of 11.6-26 wt % and alpha-methylstyrene acrylonitrile (alpha MSAN) with a wide range of AN concentrations are miscible with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) through solution blending. Here we examine the rheological properties and miscibility of PVC/SAN and PVC/alpha MSAN blends prepared by melt extrusion for commercial applications. We have investigated the rheological properties of the blends with a rheometer and a melt indexer. The PVC/SAN and PVC/alpha MSAN blends have a low melting torque, a long degradation time, and a high melt index, and this means that they have better processability than pure PVC. The miscibility of the blends has been characterized with differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and advanced rheometrics expansion system analysis. The miscibility of the blends has also been characterized with scanning electron microscopy. The SAN series with AN concentrations of 24-31 wt % is immiscible with PVC by melt extrusion, whereas alpha MSAN with 31 wt % AN is miscible with PVC, even when they are blended by melt extrusion, because of the strong interaction between PVC and aMSAN. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.