Rheological and mechanical characteristics of poly‐p‐phenylene terephthalamide/nylon molecular and particulate composites

Abstract Poly‐p‐phenylene terephthalamide (PPTA) and nylons (nylon 6, 66, 11, and 12) molecular and particulate composites were examined with emphasis on rheological, mechanical, and morphological characteristics. These molecular composites were prepared by coagulation in water from isotropic ternary sulfuric acid solutions. Upon heating above the crystal melting temperatures of nylons, the molecular composites undergo phase separation and become two‐phase particulate composites. Shear viscosity measurements indicate that the viscosity of nylon 6 and 66 systems has increased for an order of magnitude because of the presence of PPTA, but decreased in the case of nylon 11 and 12 systems. PPTA/nylon 6 and 66 systems exhibit yield behavior, particularly with high PPTA contents. Measurements show an extrudate swell of around 1 in all composition ranges and shear rates. Scanning electron microscopic investigations of low PPTA content particulate composites reveal spherical or long fibrillar morphology of PPTA phase dispersed in nylon matrices. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction investigations show no preferred orientation in the extrudates, but biaxial orientation in the case of compressed films. The study on mechanical properties of extrudates of 5 to 10 wt.% PPTA compositions exhibits significant improvement in tensile modulus and tensile strength. The heat‐treated extrudates show further increase in tensile modulus and tensile strength, as compared with the unannealed samples, but the elongation at break decreases.