2021 Volume 49 Issue 2 Pages 119-125
We investigated the strong thermal adhesive properties between thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (PAE) and other polymers (thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and cross-linked polybutadienes (cBR)). The interfacial tensions between PAE and TPU or BR were evaluated from the dispersed particle size and rheological characteristics of slow relaxation mechanism for PAE/TPU and PAE/BR blends prepared by melt-blending. Although the values of interfacial tensions by both evaluation methods did not agree very well, it was found that the interfacial tensions of both polymer systems were considerably small. The good thermal adhesive properties between PAE and TPU or PAE and cBR are thought to be due to their low interfacial tensions and thick interfacial thickness of these polymer systems. However, in order to obtain sufficient adhesive strength for polymer systems with small interfacial tension, it is important to set molding conditions so that the interfacial thickness becomes sufficiently thick.
