Compatibilization of immiscible blends with a mutually miscible third polymer

Abstract

Abstract Four immiscible blend systems, styrene‐maleic anhydride/styrene‐acrylonitrile (SMA/SAN). styrene‐maleic anhydride/acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (SMA/ABS), poly(vinylidene fluoride)/SAN (PVF 2 /SAN), and PVF 2 /ABS, were investigated. The effect of adding up to about 10 wt% of a third polymer that is miscible with each blend component, poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), was determined. In every case, the addition of PMMA led to the improvement of properties such as tensile strength, tensile elongation, and notched impact strength. Furthermore, the addition of PMMA resulted in finer, more uniform dispersions of the primary blend components. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of interfacial activity of the common phase component, PMMA.