Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.35, No.6, 538-545, 1995
Morphology and Mechanical-Properties of Liquid-Crystalline Copolyester and Poly(Ethylene 2,6-Naphthalate) Blends
Blends of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) and a liquid crystalline copolyester (LCP), poly(benzoate-naphthoate), were prepared in a twin-screw extruder. Specimens for mechanical testing were prepared by injection molding. The morphology and mechanical properties were investigated by sanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an Instron tensile tester. SEM studies revealed that finely dispersed spherical domains of the liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) were formed in the PEN matrix, and the inclusions were deformed into fibrils from the spherical droplets with increasing LCP content. The morphology of the blends was found to be affected by their composition and a distinct skin-core morphology was found to develop in the injection molded samples of these blends. Mechanical properties were improved with increasing LCP content, and synergistic effects have been observed at 70 wt% LCP content whereas the elongation at break was found to be reduced drastically above 10 wt% of LCP content. This is a characteristic typical of chopped-fiber-filled composites. The improvement in mechanical properties is likely due to the reinforcement of the PEN matrix by the fibrous LCP phase as observed by scanning electron microscopy. The tensile and modulus mechanical behavior of the LCP/PEN blends was very similar to those of the polymeric composite, and the tensile strength and flexural modulus of the LCP/PEN 70/30 blend were two times the value of PEN homopolymer and exceeded those of pure LCP, suggesting LCP acts as a reinforcing agent in the blends.
Keywords:POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE;POLYCARBONATE BLENDS;POLYMER BLENDS;POLY(ETHYLENE-TEREPHTHALATE);COMPOSITES;POLYESTER