Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polystyrene (PS) are immiscible and
incompatible and have been well recognized. In this study, styrene maleic a
nhydride random copolymer (SMA-8 wt % MA) and tetra-glycidyl ether of diphe
nyl diamino methane (TGDDM) are employed as reactive dual compatibilizers i
n the blends of PET-PS. The epoxy functional groups of the TGDDM can react
with PET terminal groups (-OH and -COOH) and anhydride groups of SMA at the
interface to produce PET-co-TGDDM-co-SMA copolymers. SMA with low MA conte
nt is miscible with PS, whereas the PET segments are structurally identical
with PET phase. Therefore, these in-situ-formed copolymers tend to anchor
at the interface and act as effective compatibilizers of the blends. The co
mpatibilized blends, depending on the amounts of TGDDM and SMA addition, re
sult in smaller phase domain, higher viscosity, and improved mechanical pro
perties. This study demonstrates that SMA and TGDDM dual compatibilizer can
be utilized effectively in compatibilizing polymer blends of PET and PS. (
C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.