Melt Blends of SAN with Acrylonitrile-Styrene-Acrylic Ester Copolymer

Abstract

Abstract Melt blends of SAN with acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic ester copolymer (ASA) were prepared using a twin-screw extruder. Morphology, mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the SAN/ASA blend were studied in the full range of compositions. TEM micrographs showed a bimodal distribution of the rubber particles with 0.7 μm and 0.2 μm in diameter. The transition from brittle to ductile mode of failure occurred in the range of 20~30 wt% ASA The blends showed typical behavior of an immiscible system where melt viscosity exhibited a positive deviation from the log additivity. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of blends did not shift with increasing ASA content, indicative of complete phase separation.