Abstract
Summary: Blends of poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) (ABS) and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), in which PEEK has been used as a reinforcing medium for the ABS matrix in ratios up to 20 wt.‐% of the blend, were prepared by melt mixing using a laboratory mixer. All the blend compositions were processed at the ABS processing temperature so that the PEEK was dispersed in the ABS matrix without actually melting. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) studies revealed that the glass transition temperature (T~g~) of the ABS phase in the blend did not show any appreciable change with composition. The dynamic storage modulus measured by DMA was found to be higher for the blend as compared to pure ABS due to reinforcement of the matrix by PEEK. The tensile strength and modulus behavior of these blends were found to follow the curves predicted using models proposed for composite systems having perfect adhesion, which shows the presence of some physical interaction between the blend components. The good tensile properties of the blend have been correlated with the observed morphology. The disperse phase in the blend has been found to be present in extremely small (sub‐micron) dimensions, which not only provides more surface area for possible interactions between the blend components but also result in efficient stress transfer between the matrix and the dispersed phase during the tensile tests. The thermal stability of the blends was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA further revealed that the constituents degraded at their respective decomposition temperatures.
SEM micrograph of tensile fractured surface of an ABS/PEEK 90/10 blend.
magnified imageSEM micrograph of tensile fractured surface of an ABS/PEEK 90/10 blend.