Optimizing the morphology,mechanical and crystal properties of in-situ polypropylene/polystyrene blends by reactive extrusion

In this study, in-situ polypropylene/polystyrene (PP/PS) blends were prepared via a reactive extrusion technique. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the generation of polypropylene-grafted-polystyrene (PP-g-PS) copolymer in the reactive process. The morphology of the in-situ PP/PS blend tended to form a homogeneous structure, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Owing to the introduction of PP-g-PS in the reactive extrusion, a remarkable enhancement of mechanical properties was achieved for the in-situ PP/PS blend. The elongation at break of the in-situ PP/PS blend with 15 wt% PS can reach 500 %, over 10 times higher than that of the normal PP/PS blend. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed an increased crystallization temperature of PP, which can be attributed to the heterogeneous nucleation effect of the PS and grafted PS. The analysis of wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated the development of beta crystals in the in-situ PP/PS blend.