Elastomers impact modifiers/tougheners

Improve both impact strength and rigidity of thermoplastics by using up the energy of crack propagation. Elastomers are prototypical toughening additives. Examples of high-polymeric impact modifier/thermoplastic matrix systems are EVA, CPE and MBS in PVC, EP(D)M and SBS in PA, and acrylic rubbers in polyesters. 

Reactive impact modifiers are preferred for toughening of PET since these form a stable dispersed phase by grafting to the PET matrix. Non-reactive elastomers can be dispersed into PET by intensive compounding but may coalesce downstream in the compounder. Reactive impact modifiers have functionalized end groups. Functionalization serves two purposes - first, to bond the impact modifier to the polymer matrix, and secondly to modify the interfacial energy between the polymer matrix and the impact modifier for enhanced dispersion. Some examples of commercially available reactive impact modifiers for PET are shown in Table 14.3. An example of a non-reactive elastomer that can be used in combination with reactive impact modifiers is ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA), such as the Optema EMA range of ethylene methyl acrylates manufactured by the Exxon-Mobil Chemical Company (see Section 4.2). 

Rubber toughened epoxy resins are the well known examples of impact modified thermosets utilizing reactive rubbery prepolymers. Epoxy resins can be toughened or flexibilized by any one of the following types of oligomeric reactive elastomers ... 

Historically, a number of different impact-modification technologies have been used. These include various maleated oleflnic rubber such as EB, EP, and so on SBS bromi-nated isobutylene-para-methyl styrene elastomers produced by Exxon and many others. Dow s metallocene-based ethylene-a-olefln elastomers were found to be very effective as well. The rheology of toughened nylon 6,6 is usually directly related to the maleic anhydride graft level of the impact modifier. Rubber particle size averages of greater than 0.25 pm and less than 0.5 pm are required to achieve the required balance of mechanical performance. Optimum particle size varies with the percentage of rubber. 

Rubber toughening is the most often used method of improving the impact resistance of polymers (Bucknall 1977). The impact modified materials are usually the blends of a rigid matrix polymer with an elastomer. The composition of the constituents, their miscibility, and the morphology influence the deformation and failure mechanism in the blend. Particle size of the elastomer, its dispersion, and its adhesion with matrix are also the important factors determining the toughness. 

Thermoplastic olefin (TPO) compositions typically consist of an immiscible blend of an isotactic polypropylene mixed with a polyolefin elastomer that acts as an impact modifier. It is possible to toughen these compositions further by using ethylene-propylene, ethylene-octene or ethylene-hexene impact modifiers. 

An alternative approach to toughening PVC is represented by DuPont Dow Elastomers Tyrin range of chlorinated polyethylene impact modifiers for PVC profiles, which are said to offer better processing characteristics and filler compatibility than acrylics. Tyrin can be used for wire and cable insulation, and is the most widely used impact modifier for those grades of ignition resistant ABS that need to contain a brominated flame retardant. 

Multiphase or multicomponent polymers can clearly be more complex structurally than single phase materials, for there is the distribution of the various phases to describe as well as their internal structure. Most polymer blends, block and graft copolymers and interpenetrating networks are multiphase systems. A major commercial set of multiphase polymer systems are the toughened, high impact or impact modified polymers. These are combinations of polymers with dispersed elastomer (rubber) particles in a continuous matrix. Most commonly the matrix is a glassy amorphous thermoplastic, but it can also be crystalline or a thermoset. The impact modified materials may be blends, block or graft copolymers or even all of these at once. 

Commercial impact modified polyamides typically contain 10-25% of the reactive or compatible elastomer in order to maximize the toughening efficiency while still retaining a high level of tensile strength and DTUL. Commercial impact modified PA blends (Table 8.2) indeed offer a unique combination of high notched Izod impact and drop... 

In the early history of polypropylene technology, blends with ethylene propylene copolymer were introduced for toughening polypropylene. Subsequently block copolymers of polypropylene with random ethylene propylene copolymer rubber were produced in the polymerization reaction. Dynamic vulcanization of ethylene propylene terpolymer in blends with polypropylene together with hydrocarbon oils was a third technology. The first TPO was elastomer (ethylene)-modified propylene (EP polymer) marketed to overcome polypropylene s weakness that cold temperature negatively impacts resistance. 

Effect of Molecular Configuration of Elastomer. The extent of the impact and strength improvements of ERL-4221 depends on the chemical structure and composition of the elastomer modifier. The data shown in Table I indicate that the carboxyl terminated 80-20 butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (CTBN) is the most effective toughening and reinforcing agent. The mercaptan terminated copolymer (MTBN) is considerably less effective as far as tensile strength and heat distortion temperature are concerned. The mercaptan groups are considerably less reactive with epoxides than carboxyls (4), and this difference in the rate of reaction may influence the extent of the epoxy-elastomer copolymerization and therefore the precipitation of the rubber as distinct particles. 

Craze formation is a dominant mechanism in the toughening of glassy polymers by elastomers in polyblends. Examples are high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), impact poly(vinyl chloride), and ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) polymers. Polystyrene and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymers fracture at strains of 10 , whereas rubber-modified grades of these polymers (e.g., HIPS and ABS) form many crazes before breaking at strains around 0.5. Rubbery particles in... 

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