Ternary blends of poly(amide‐6)/polycarbonate/poly(ε‐caprolactone)

Blends of poly(amide-6) (PA) and poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) prepared by solution casting and screw extrusion have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From the measured melting point (Tm) of the solution-cast PA/PCL blends, a Tm depression of the PA was observed for the investigated compositions. No Tm depression was found for the extruded PA/PCL blends, however. In the SEM study of the morphology of the solution-cast PA/PCL blends, phase separation was observed between the PA phase and the PCL phase for all blend compositions. For the extruded PA/PCL blends, however, more pronounced phase separation was observed for all blend compositions. Ternary blends of PA, PCL, and bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) have also been prepared by screw extrusion. From the study of morphology and extrudate swell of the PA/PC binary blends and the extruded PA/PC/PCL ternary blends, it appears that PCL could be used as a compatibilizer for the extruded PA/PC/PCL blends. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.