Tensile behavior of polypropylene/polycarbonate/poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) ternary blend: Effects of core-shell particles

Abstract

Polypropylene/polycarbonate (PP/PC), PP/poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (PP/SEBS) binary blends, and PP/PC/SEBS ternary blend were produced via melt blending in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The phase morphology, tensile, and impact behaviors of the blends were studied. Transmission optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy investigations of the necking region in tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy of tensile fractured surfaces were performed to characterize the fracture mechanism. In the PP/PC/SEBS ternary blend, core-shell morphology (PC particles as a core and the SEBS phase as a shell) was formed. Analysis of micromechanical deformation suggested that crazing occurred in PP and shear yielding did not occur during tensile tests. Rubber particles cavitation, shear yielding, and crazing occurred in both the PP/SEBS binary blend and PP/PC/SEBS ternary blend. Results showed that Corte and Leibler's theory was unable to describe the effect of core-shell particles in these blends.