The effect of compatibility on toughness of PPS/SEBS polymer alloy

The effect of compatibility on the improvement of the toughness of polyphen ylenesulfide (PPS) blended with styrene-ethylene-butylenestyrene block copo lymers (SEBS) has been studied. In PPS/SEBS polymer alloy having SEBS, whic h was highly modified by maleic anhydride, it was confirmed that the elasto mers were dispersed finely because of high compatibility with the PPS matri x, and the toughness was improved efficiently by the release of constraint of the strain due to void formation in the elastomer particles. On the cont rary, in the PPS/SEBS polymer alloy having the conventional SEBS or SEBS, w hich was lightly modified by maleic anhydride, the diameter of dispersed el astomer particles was larger, and the particles were deformed into a rod-li ke shape, and oriented along to the direction of injection flow, particular ly in high content of elastomer. These oriented particles were fractured ea sily, and many cracks, which were distributed along to the direction of flo w were formed. These cracks would result in suppression of improvement or d ecrease in toughness of the polymer alloy. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.