Abstract
This study examined ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)-toughened polystyrene (PS). EVA is well-known to be incompatible with PS; thus, the PS graft to the EVA backbone (EVA-g-PS) was used as a compatibilizer and provided good adhesion at the interface of PS and EVA. In addition, the mechanical properties and impact resistance of the PS matrix were obviously improved by EVA-g-PS and by EVA itself. Meanwhile, differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the grafted PS chain influenced the crystallization of EVA; for example, the melting temperature, the crystallization temperature, and the percentage crystallinity related to EVA were reduced. Moreover, the addition of 10% EVA increased the impact strength by a factor of five but reduced the modulus by the same factor. Additionally, a lower number-average molecular weight EVA delayed phase inversion and resulted in poor mechanical properties. A fracture surface photograph revealed that the major mechanism of EVA-toughened PS was craze and local matrix deformation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 699-705 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Polymer Science |
Volume | 88 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2003 Apr 18 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Chemistry
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry