Effect of Adding Modified Clays on the Mechanical Behavior of PC/ABS Polymer Blend

Bentonite clay is surface modified and incorporated into PC/ABS (70/30) polymer blend by melt mixing in concentrations of 1, 3 and 5 wt% of clay. The efficiency of the treatments is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and x‐ray diffraction (XRD). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to evaluate the blends miscibility and morphology, respectively, and the mechanical behavior is analyzed by tensile tests. The methodologies used are efficient to modify the clay's surface. DSC and SEM showed that the blend remained immiscible with the addition of the fillers. The mechanical test showed an increase in the Young's modulus of the nanocomposite with addition of 1 wt% of the natural clay and a modification in the fracture behavior of the blend, from ductile to brittle, when 3 and 5 wt% of the organophilized clay are used.