Highly toughened poly (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic)/chlorinated polyethylene blends: Mechanical, rheological and thermal properties

The effect of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) on the properties of poly (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic) (ASA) was investigated. As an impact modifier, CPE effectively toughened ASA. With the addition of 15 phr CPE, the impact strength increased from 25.1 kJ/m² to 41.7 kJ/m². The morphology of the blends exhibited heterogeneous structure and correlated well with the results of impact strength. The glass transition temperature corresponding with ASA remained constant, indicating that CPE did not change the dual-phase structure of ASA. In rheological tests, the enhancement of storage modulus and complex viscosity of ASA, together with Cole-Cole plots, indicated that certain changes in phase structure existed after CPE content exceeded 8 phr. Thermogravimetric analysis results suggested that CPE slightly decreased the onset degradation temperature. Our study showed that CPE, as an impact modifier, can effectively improve the toughness of ASA.