Carbon Nanotube Migration in a Compatibilized Blend System, Leading to Kinetically Induced Enhancement in Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Properties.

Kinetic factors that facilitate carbon nanotube (CNT) migration in a polymer blend from a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) phase to a poly (p-phenylene ether) (PPE) phase were studied, with the objective to induce CNT migration and localization at the interface. Herein, a CNT filler was pre-localized in an HDPE polymer and then blended with PPE at different blend compositions of 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, and 80:20 of PPE/HDPE at a constant filler concentration of 1 wt%. The level of CNT migration was studied at different mixing times of 5 and 10 min.

Interface Strengthening of PS/aPA Polymer Blend Nanocomposites via In Situ Compatibilization: Enhancement of Electrical and Rheological Properties.

The process of strengthening interfaces in polymer blend nanocomposites (PBNs) has been studied extensively, however a corresponding significant enhancement in the electrical and rheological properties is not always achieved. In this work, we exploit the chemical reaction between polystyrene maleic anhydride and the amine group in nylon (polyamide) to achieve an in-situ compatibilization during melt processing. Herein, nanocomposites were made by systematically adding polystyrene maleic anhydride (PSMA) at different compositions (1-10 vol%) in a two-step mixing sequence to a Polystyrene (PS)/Polyamide (aPA) blend with constant composition ratio of 25:75 (PS + PSMA:aPA) and 1.