Structure and Mechanical Properties of Blends of an Amorphous Polyamide and an Amorphous Copolyester

This article deals with the structure and mechanical properties of blends of an amorphous copolyester (PCTG) and an amorphous polyamide (aPA) which were directly prepared during the plasticization step of an injection molding process. The blends were composed by an almost pure aPA phase, and a PCTG-rich phase where some aPA subparticles are present. The morphology of the blends showed both rather fine dispersed particles and occasionally large particles with occluded subparticles. This complex morphology indicated a low interface tension attributed to the presence of some aPA in the PCTG-rich phase of the blends. The almost linear behavior of the modulus of elasticity was attributed to the constancy of the main structural characteristics upon blending and the equally linear ductility to the good adhesion level and the presence of thin and elongated morphologies. (C) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.