Polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic elastomer terpolymer blends with enhanced interfacial adhesion and surface gloss

Abstract

A blend of bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) and an acryllonitrile-styrene-acrylic elastomer (ASA) terpolymer with high surface gloss and excellent interfacial properties was developed for automobile applications. Because PC and the styrene-co-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer that formed the matrix in the PC/ASA blend were not miscible, two different types of compatibilizers were examined to improve the compatibility of the blend. A diblock copolymer composed of tetramethyl polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was more effective than PMMA in increasing interfacial adhesion between PC and SAN. The surface gloss of the PC/ASA blend was always lower than that of the pure ASA included in the blend because of PC existing at the surface of the injection-molding specimen. The PC/ASA blend with optimum surface gloss and enhanced interfacial adhesion was developed through the control of the molecular weight of PC and the compatibilizer. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.