Effects of Addition of Functionalized SEBS on Rheological, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Polyamide 6 Nanocomposites

The effects of the addition of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS) with various functionalized groups on the rheological, mechanical, and tribological properties on polyamide 6 nanocomposite filled with layered silicate (PA6/Clay) were investigated. Four types of SEBS: unmodified SEBS (SEBS), maleic anhydride grafted SEBS (SEBS-g-MA), amine group grafted SEBS (SEBS-g-NH(2)), and carboxyl group grafted SEBS (SEBS-g-COOH) were added with PA6/Clay nanocamposite to prepare various polymer blends. These polymer blends were extruded by a twin screw extruder and injection molded. Dynamic viscoelastic properties of these blends in the molten state and their tensile, impact, and tribological properties were evaluated. The viscoelastic properties were found to increase with the addition of SEBS and were highly influenced by the types of functionalized groups contained. Influence of the addition of SEBS on the mechanical properties of these systems differed for each mechanical property. Although the tensile properties decreased with SEBS, Izod impact properties improved with the addition of various functionalized SEBS. These mechanical properties and viscoelastic properties correlated closely with the size of dispersed SEBS particles and interparticle distance. The tribological properties also improved with the addition of SEBS, and the influence of the amount added was higher than the type of SEBS used. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 50:100-112, 2010. (C) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers