Impact of reinforcement characteristics on the morphology and performance of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polyamide 6 multimicro-/nanolayer composites

This study utilizes montmorillonite (MMT) and ground tire rubber (GTR) particles to modify the morphology of PA6/ABS immiscible polymers by suppressing phase retraction and coalescence. MMT and GTR were incorporated at weight contents ranging from 1 to 5 wt.% and 5 to 25 wt.%, respectively, to manipulate the morphology through selective localization at the polymer interface. The morphology of the resulting composites was analyzed, and the cooperative effect between the fillers was evaluated with the structural, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed the formation of a finer multimicro-/nanolayer morphology in composites containing low clay content (less than 5 wt.%); additionally, the inclusion of 10 wt.% GTR effectively suppressed coalescence and promoted the formation of a compatibilized polymer blend. The stiffness of the blend matrix increased with clay content up to 4 wt.% and thermal stability to 437 °C, while the ductility of the composites improved with the addition of GTR, reaching its peak at 10  wt.% with higher thermal degradation at 412 °C. Overall, the composites exhibited synergistic properties, demonstrating the combined benefits of both fillers. The use of chemically modified nanolayered clay and GTR particles proved to be an effective strategy for achieving multimicro-/nanolayered morphologies and for compatibilizing immiscible polymer blends, paving the way for new applications of immiscible polymer blends.