Characterization of nylon 6/ABS blends with and without a maleated polybutadiene as compatibilizer

The physical properties of nylon 6/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) terpolymer (ABS) blends using a maleated polybutadiene (denoted PB-g-MA) as compatibilizer were investigated. The morphology results reveal that ABS domain sizes decrease with an increasing compatibilizer content, suggesting the good interaction between the nylon 6 matrix and the ABS dispersed phase. Cooling conditions and compatibilizer contents strongly affect the crystalline structure of nylon 6, as determined from X-ray diffraction and non-isothermal crystallization thermal analyses. The coexistence of alpha- and predominantly gamma-form crystals for the 10 phr compatibilized blends was observed. Isothermal crystallization kinetics suggests that the introduced compatibilizer impeded the growth rate of the crystals, especially for the higher compatibilizer content. The compatibilizer was beneficial in enhancing the thermal stability of the blends.