Mechanical properties and morphology of HDPE/PA12 blends compatibilized with HDPE-alt-MAH

The objective of this work is to study the effect of the addition of the compatibilizing agent poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) (HDPE-alt-MAH) on the mechanical properties and morphology of HDPE/PA12 blends. The amounts of compatibilizer used were 0, 2, and 3 wt% and HDPE/PA12 blends were manufactured in three ratios, namely: 75/25, 50/50, and 25/75. It was observed that the blends with 2 wt% of HDPE-alt-MAH presented the best mechanical performance. As the proportion of PA12 in the blend increased, the mechanical strength and elongation at break also increased. The creep behavior of the blends was also evaluated, and it was verified that the steady-state creep rate decreases with the increase of PA12 showing the greater resistance to deformation of PA12 compared to HDPE. The viscoelastic behavior of the materials varied with the composition, but by creep compliance analysis, it was observed that the elastic behavior of the blends was similar. The rheology of the blends was analyzed, and it was concluded that the 75/25 HDPE/PA12 blend had the best processability. From the analysis of the microstructures of the blends, it was possible to correlate the phase dispersion with the mechanical and rheological properties.