High performance polyamide 6 composites prepared by reactive extrusion.

To improve the properties of polyamide 6 (PA6) composites, a series of modified PA6 composites was prepared by reaction extrusion. An amorphous PA6 was first obtained by the complexing reaction of Li+ in lithium chloride with amino groups, and then epoxy resins, nano-SiO2 as well as POE- g-MAH were in turn added into the PA6/LiCl system. The effect of different additives on the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of PA6 composites was well-studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical properties tests. The results demonstrated that PA6 was amorphous at 6 phr lithium chloride and a network structure was formed in PA6 matrix in the presence of epoxy resins, thus the mechanical properties of composites greatly were enhanced. However too many nano-SiO2 particles might impair the tensile strength of PA6 composites. Additionally, a PA6 composite with excellent properties was obtained in the presence of POE- g-MAH due to the crystal form change in PA6 matrix and the strong interaction between PA6 and POE- g-MAH. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:985-992, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]