Blends of nylon 6 with an ethylene-based multifunctional polymer. II. Property–morphology relationships

The tensile properties and impact strength were measured of the three blend systems, nylon 6/CXA 3101, nylon 6/Plexar 3, and nylon 6/EVA, which had been prepared using a twinscrew compounding machine. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of the fracture surfaces show that the domain size of the dispersed phase is much smaller in the nylon 6/CXA 3101 blends or nylon 6/Plexar 3 blends than in the nylon 6/EVA blends. This is attributed to the presence of a graft copolymer, formed by chemical reactions between carboxyl or anhydride groups present in the CXA 3101 (or Plexar 3) and the amino end groups of the nylon 6, at the boundaries of the dispersed and continuous phases. The SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces shows that no discrete particles are exposed on the fracture surface of either the nylon 6/CXA 3101 blends or nylon 6/Plexar 3 blends, supporting the theory that a graft copolymer, formed during melt blending, helped the discrete particles adhere to the continuous matrix.