REACTIVE EXTRUSION PROCESSING OF ELASTOMER TOUGHENED POLYPHENYLENE SULFIDE

Polyphenylensulfide (PPS) features excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, chemical resistance, flame resistance and precise moldability. However, PPS has a weak point of being a very brittie material. For use as electrical and electronic parts, automobile and mechanical parts, toughened PPS is desired. For these application, improving the toughness of PPS and developing an elastomer toughened PPS and related compounds are desired. 

The targets of our development are as follows. The first point is to maintain the advantages of PPS such as its thermal properties, mechanical properties, etc. The second point is to improve the brittleness of PPS using the polymer alloy method. 

Any commercially available PPS neat polymer is suitable for study. For example, the PPS neat polymer supplied by Tohprene Corporation (its trade name is T-4 ) is suitable. 

For the thermoplastic elastomer, one example is the commercially available olefinic elastomer composed of ethylene, acrylic ester and small amounts of maleic anhydride (-2 wt%). Another example is the ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) modified with a maleic anhydride group. One more example is the olefinic elastomer having a glycidyl group. These olefinic elastomers have the reactive functional group such as anhydride or an epoxide group. 

PPS was chemically treated with diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDA) using the method described in our patent [1]. PPS was mixed with MDA, and extruded in a molten state using a twin screw extruder. 

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Reactive Extrusion Processing of Elastomer Toughened Polyphenylene Sulfide. 

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