Influence of a core/shell rubber phase on the morphology and the impact resistance of a PC/SAN blend (75/25)

At 75/25 concentration ratio, bisphenol a polycarbonate (PC)/styreneacrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) blend has poor impact resistance compared to PC/ABS. A rubber phase methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS) of core/shell type was dispersed in PC/SAN blend. The morphology of the unmodified and modified blend was investigated. The influence of the acrylonitrile ratio in the SAN on the microstructure was studied. It clearly shows that core/shell resides at the interface between PC and SAN. It seems that core/shell particles enhance the adhesion between the different phases. Their presence influences the interface mobility; i.e., the coalescence of the dispersed phase observed in pure PC/SAN is considerably reduced when the MBS particles are added. The impact resistance of the samples was correlated with the morphology.