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Iranian Polymer Journal Available online at: http://journal.ippi.ac.ir

15 (3), 2006, 227-237
An Investigation of Mechanical and
Rheological Properties of NBR/PVC Blends:
Influence of Anhydride Additives, Mixing
Procedure and NBR Form
Ahmad Ali Shokri1*, Gholamreza Bakhshandeh2
, and
2
Tahereh Darestani Farahani
(1) National Petrochemical Company, Petrochemical Research and Development Company
P.O. Box: 19395/6896, Tehran, I.R. Iran
(2) Department of Rubber, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, P.O. Box: 14965/115,
Tehran, I.R. Iran

Received 19 July 2005; accepted 1 February 2006

ABSTRACT

ompatibilizer is used for improvement of interfacial interaction, mechanical prop-

C erties and processability of polymer blends. In this study, the effect of phthalic
anhydride (PAH), succinic anhydride (SAH) and maleic anhydride (MAH) in vul-
canizable compositions of the melt mixed acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/poly(vinyl chlo-
ride) (NBR/PVC) in different proportions were investigated. PAH, SAH and MAH were
used to improve compatibility of NBR/PVC blends. These additives increased the interfa-
cial interaction between NBR and PVC phases confirmed by the scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) study of fracture surfaces. The results were compared to those for
control type (no compatibilizer added) NBR/PVC formulation. The developed composi-
tions were studied by rheometric and mechanical properties. Also, in this work, we inves-
tigate the effects of mixing procedure (Brabender Plasticorder and Haake rheometer) and
NBR form (powder and bale) on the final properties of NBR/PVC blends. It is argued that
NBR/PVC blends with NBR powder prepared in the Haake rheometer have higher stabi-
lization torque and tensile properties than NBR/PVC blends with NBR bale and have
lower properties than the blends which were prepared in Brabender Plasticorder with
NBR powder. It is observed that the increasing effect of NBR powder in mechanical prop-
erties is owing to fine particle size and high surface area that are well interacted with PVC.
Key Words:
NBR/PVC;
interfacial interaction;
mechanical properties;
rheometric properties;
mixing;
NBR powder.
INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, considerable research single components [4-6]. In addition,

(*) To whom correspondence to be addressed.
E-mail: aa.shokri@gmail.com
interest is focused on new polymeric
materials obtained by blending two or
more polymers [1-3]. The major fea-
ture of such process is that the interme-
diate properties are in some cases bet-
ter than those exhibited by either of the
some modifications in terms of pro-
cessing characteristics, durability and
cost can be achieved via polymer
blending [7]. Blends have been devel-
oped to meet several industrial require-
ments such as the need for easier pro-

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An Investigation of Mechanical and Rheological ...

cessing and broadening of the properties range, either by Table 1. Formulation of NBR bale/PVC blends (anhydride
varying the type, relative amounts or morphology of each additives).
component [8,9]. These materials can be prepared so as,
Materials F1 (phr) F2 (phr) F3 (phr)
for example, to combine their high mechanical strength to
NBR 70 50 30
a better dimensional stability and thermal resistance [10].
In recent years, the blends of acrylonitrile-butadi- PVC 30 50 70
ene rubber (NBR) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) have DOP 50 50 50
been widely used in industry [11]. Major applications Ba/Cd/Zn stearate 3 3 3
of these blends include conveyor belt covers, cable
Zinc oxide 3 3 3
jackets, hose cover linings, gaskets, footwear and cellu-
lar products [12]. It is worth noting that NBR acts as a Stearic acid 1.5 1.5 1.5
permanent plasticizer for PVC in applications such as Sulphur 0.7 0.5 0.3
wire and cable insulation in which PVC improves the MBTS 0.7 0.5 0.3
chemical resistance, thermal ageing and abrasion
TMTD 0.25 0.2 0.1
resistance of NBR [13,14].
One way to improve the final performance of this DCP 0.2 0.2 0.2
blend is by means of interfacial modifier or compatibiliz- Compatibilizer 4 4 4
ing agents acting from the matrix side [15]. In general,
these interfacial modifications have generated great inter-
est in materials based on polymers as polymer blend or value=65 (Bandar-e-Emam Petrochemical Company,
polyblends, because these agents are able to enhance the Mahshahr, Iran). Nitrile rubber bale, percentage acry-
interaction level between the material components, such lonitrile: 33%; ML (1+4) at 100oC = 56 (Tiwan). Nitrile
interactions take place through the interphase [11,16]. rubber powder, percentage acrylonitrile: 32%; ML
The reactive compatibilization technique has been used (1+4) at 100oC = 57, partitioning agent for this NBR is
for poly(vinyl chloride)/styrene butadiene-rubber (PVC/ PVC (10 %), (Korea).
SBR), nylon 6/poly(propylene) (PP) and poly(propy- Curing agents, rubber grade tetramethyl thiuram
lene)/poly(carbonate) (PP/PC) blends [17-19]. disulphide (TMTD), mercaptobenzthiazyl disulphide
PVC is miscible with NBR (23-45% acrylonitrile (MBTS) and sulphur (S) were used.
content) at all composition ranges [20]. These materials Other additives, dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and bari-
are mixed and fluxed in typical machinery used for this um/cadmium/zinc stearate were used as plasticizer and
purpose, such as a Haake or Banbury mixer [4,5,21]. stabilizer, respectively. A combination of zinc oxide
This investigation deals with the study of the inter- (ZnO) and stearic acid was used as the activator system
facial modification induced in NBR/PVC blends by for vulcanization of NBR. Dicumyl-peroxide (DCP)
phthalic anhydride (PAH), succinic anhydride (SAH) and compatibilizers (PAH, SAH and MAH) were used
and maleic anhydride (MAH), which has proved to be as the initiator and compatibilizing agent for compati-
efficient as a compatibilizing agent in these blends, as bilization of NBR and PVC from Merck Company. The
evidenced by tensile properties, swelling behaviour and formulations of the blends for the comparison of the
morphology of NBR bale/PVC blends. Also, in this arti- anhydride additives are given in Table 1 and the formu-
cle, various compositions of NBR/PVC blends with two lation of Table 2 is for comparison of mixing proce-
mixing procedures (Haake and Brabender Plasticorder) dure and NBR form.
and two types of NBR (powder and bale) were prepared. The sample codes of the blends versus NBR form
The results obtained are described and discussed. and mixing machine are summarized in Table 3.

EXPERIMENTAL Preparation of the Blends and Testing

The blends were prepared in a Haake internal mixer
Materials (model HBI System 90) equipped with two banbury
Poly(vinyl chloride), powder, suspension polymer; K- rotors at 150oC with a rotor speed of 60 (for 70/30 and

228 Iranian Polymer Journal / Volume 15 Number 3 (2006)

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Table 2. Formulation of NBR (bale & powder)/PVC blends. NBR bale. After 6 h; the curing agent, ZnO and stearic
Materials F1 (phr) F2 (phr) F3 (phr)
acid, were added to the mixed blend on an open mill at
40oC for 8 min. The blends were vulcanized at 170oC
NBR 70 50 30
and a pressure of 150 kgf/cm2 in a Daventest hydraulic
PVC 30 50 70 press and were cooled to room temperature.
DOP 3 20 30 The Mooney viscosities of the blends before curing
Ba/Cd/Zn stearate 1 2 3
were measured using a Zwick Mooney shearing disc
viscometer, model 4309, at 100oC and a Monsanto
Zinc oxide 3.5 2.5 1.5
Rheometer, model 4308, were used to generate curing
Stearic acid 1.4 1.0 0.6 characteristics data for NBR/PVC blends at 170oC
Sulphur 0.7 0.5 0.3 according to ASTM D-2084.
MBTS 0.7 0.5 0.3
Dumb-bell specimens of 2 mm thickness were cut
from moulded sheets and three specimens were used in
TMTD 0.25 0.2 0.1
each case for evaluation of tensile properties. Tensile
properties were measured by Tensometer MTS model
50/50 NBR bale/PVC blends) and 50 rpm (for 30/70 10/M following ASTM D-412 at ambient temperature.
NBR bale/PVC blend). The PVC was initially pre- For determination of the swelling percentage of the
mixed with stabilizer and plasticizer in a petri dish for blends (carried out in accordance with ASTM D-471),
3 min at room temperature. As the mixing chamber the test pieces with dimension 2 mm×5 mm×30 mm
attained the set temperature, in zero time; the combina- were weighed and this was considered to be the origi-
tion of PVC, stabilizer and plasticizer with compatibi- nal weight. The test pieces were immersed in toluene at
lizer system (DCP + PAH or MAH or SAH) were room temperature for 46 h. After removal from the
charged and allowed to soften for 2 min and then the toluene, they were wiped with tissue paper to remove
nitrile rubber was added and mixing continued for excess toluene from the surface and weighed (swollen
30/70 NBR/PVC blend. For 70/30 and 50/50 weight). The swelling index of the blends was calculat-
NBR/PVC blends, this procedure is vice-versa. The ed as follows:
charging operation normally took 20-35 s. The torque swollen weight
was plotted using an XY recorder. Mixing was then Swelling index = (1)
original weight
continued until a constant torque was obtained. The
total mixing time was 8 min. The blending of NBR
powder and PVC (at all blend compositions) was con- Studies on morphology of the fractured surfaces of
ducted in the melt state in Brabender Plasticorder blends were carried out using a Cambridge Stereoscan
which was equipped with twin screw (co-rotating, 360 scanning electron microscope (SEM), surfaces of
diameter of screw D=20 mm, ratio L/D= 40) at screw the sample were coated with a thin gold layer.
speed of 50 rpm and temperature profile 165 to 175oC Infrared spectroscopic studies were done in a FTIR
in various zones. The mixed blend was removed from Bruker spectrophotometer (model IFS 48) with scan-
the mixer and sheeted on a cold and laboratory two-roll ning range was from 500 to 4000 cm-1. The samples for
mill (Polymix, model 200L), for blends which have FTIR were prepared by using the attenuated total
reflectance (ATR) technique.
Table 3. Sample codes of various blend compositions (mix-
ing procedure &NBR form).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Composition
F1 F2 F3
Haake and Brabender Mixer Studies
Haake with NBR bale HB1 HB2 HB3 Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the typical plastograms record-
Haake with NBR powder HP1 HP2 HP3
ed for NBR/PVC blends with different blend composi-
tions and various compatibilizers. The rotors were
Brabender with NBR powder BP1 BP2 BP3
immediately started and the torque rose due to the

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An Investigation of Mechanical and Rheological ...
Figure 1. Torque versus time of 70/30 NBR/PVC blends.
resistance exerted on the rotor by the unmolten poly-
mer. As compared to the 70/30 and 50/50 blends, the
30/70 NBR/PVC blend shows the lowest increase in
torque at 0-2 min, because for this blend in zero time;
PVC powder was charged into the mixing chamber
together with other additives, but for 70/30 and 50/50
blends, in zero time; NBR was charged that has higher
stiffness. After adding the second polymer, as viscosity
decreased until equilibrium torque was achieved when
the blend become homogenized.
It can be seen that for all blend compositions, the
stabilization torque increases with increasing PVC
fraction as expected. The blend viscosity is increased
when the PVC content in the blend increases. The
increase in viscosity and torque in these Figures as a
result of incorporation of rubber with plastic have been
reported by various researchers [22-24]. Recall that vis-
cosity is a direct function of torque which accounts for
the torque increment. Various researchers [25,26,28]
have reported the increase in viscosity on compatibi-
lization of polymer blends. According to George et al.
[27], upon compatibilization of a blend, the compatibi-
lizer will generally locate at the interface between the
Figure 2. Torque versus time of 50/50 NBR/PVC blends.
230 Iranian Polymer Journal / Volume 15 Number 3 (2006)
Shokri A.A. et al.
Figure 3. Torque versus time of 30/70 NBR/PVC blends.
dispersed phase and the matrix and this will lead to an
increase in interfacial thickness. However, at a similar
blend composition, blend with MAH compatibilizing
agent exhibits higher stabilization torque than blends
with PAH, SAH and control type (no compatibilizer
added). It is clear from these Figures that for a similar
blend composition, by using a small amount of a com-
patibilizing agent, interfacial modifications (interfacial
adhesion) are induced in the blends that can be evi-
denced by the torque rise. Among these compatibilizing
agents, MAH has a good effect on the adhesion of NBR
and PVC which may be attributed to good reaction with
two components.
On the other hand, Figures 4, 5 and 6 show the typ-
ical plastograms recorded for NBR/PVC blends with
different blend compositions and various mixing proce-
dures and NBR forms. In Haake rheometer, for a simi-
lar blend composition, blends that were prepared with
NBR powder have higher stabilization torque than
those prepared with NBR bale. It is clear from Figures
4 and 5, by using of NBR powder, owing to fine parti-
cle size (high surface area) of NBR; interaction
between NBR and PVC are induced in the blends that
Figure 4. Torque versus time of NBR bale/PVC blends pre-
pared in Haake mixer.
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Figure 5. Torque versus time of NBR powder/PVC blends Figure 6. Torque versus time of NBR powder/PVC blends
prepared in Haake mixer. prepared in Brabender Plasticorder.

can be evidenced by the torque rise. In Brabender Plas-
ticorder, when steady-state process is started, it
observed a stable stabilization torque from zero time
(onset of steady-state) to the end of mixing. In this mix-
ing machine, there is a higher stabilization torque than
Haake mixer which caused good mixing.
Rheometric Studies
The Monsanto rheometer results of the blends with var-
ious compatibilizing agents at 170oC are shown in
Table 4. It is seen that as the NBR content in the blends
increases, torque difference (difference between the
maximum torque and the minimum torque) also
increases, because of high NBR content in the blend;
requirement torque for oscillating movement in the
rheometer is lower and after vulcanization process, it
requires to higher torque for movement. It can be seen
from comparison of data given in this Table that the
maximum torque (torque developed at a cure time of
15 min) and torque difference are usually higher for the
blends with compatibilizing agent that are evident by
the interfacial adhesion. The blends with compatibiliz-

Table 4. Curing characteristics and mechanical properties of NBR/PVC blends with various compatibilizing agents.

70/30 50/50 30/70

Ctrl MAH PAH SAH Ctrl MAH PAH SAH Ctrl MAH PAH SAH

Mooney viscosity 17.2 30 26 24 30.91 31 31.5 30.5 40 59 53 48

Rheometric properties
Maximum torque (lbf.in) 8 9.9 9.3 8.9 7.5 9.4 9.11 8.6 6.9 8.8 8.61 8.29
Minimum torque (lbf.in) 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.13 3 3.5 3.4 3.68 3.8 4.3 4.23 4.23
Torque difference (lbf.in) 4.9 6.7 6.1 5.8 4.5 5.9 5.71 4.92 3.1 4.5 4.38 4.06
Scorch time (min) 2.1 1.8 1.9 1.81 2.38 2.1 1.9 2 2.49 2.1 2.2 1.93
Optimum cure time, t95 (min) 9.8 10.2 11 10.5 11.19 10 11.6 12.1 12.88 13.1 12.5 12
Cure rate (lbf.in/min) 34.1 36.2 37 35.6 25.82 28 27.8 26.5 29.45 31 32.1 30

Mechanical properties
Tensile strength(MPa) 3.4 4.4 4.1 3.9 6.1 7.35 7.1 6.8 9 10.5 10.1 9.9
Elongation-at-break (%) 540 495 520 520 500 460 480 480 400 365 380 385
100% Modulus (MPa) 0.7 0.79 0.76 0.76 1.68 1.9 1.78 1.7 3.5 3.8 3.71 3.69
300% Modulus (MPa) 1.7 1.92 1.8 1.79 3.14 3.9 3.5 3.7 6.9 7.3 7.21 7
Hardness (Shore A) 39 35 35 34 49 46 45 45 68 64 64 63
Swelling index 3.1 2.7 2.85 3 2.15 1.8 1.9 2 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.6

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ing agents are more scorchy (showing relatively low
scorch time) and the optimum cure time for all blends
are more or less close or comparable. Also it is seen
that between these blends, compatibilizing agents pro-
duce in general a slightly higher cure rate (determined
from the slope of the initial steady part of the torque
rise zone for each blend).
The Monsanto rheometer results of the blends with
various mixing procedures and NBR form at 170oC are
shown in Table 5. It can be seen from comparison of
data given in this table, for a similar blend composition
that the maximum torque (torque developed at a cure
time of 20 min) and torque difference are higher for the
blends with NBR powder which were prepared in
Brabender Plasticorder that confirmed the better mix-
ing between NBR and PVC than Haake blending.
Blends with NBR bale towards NBR powder that were
prepared in Haake have lowest maximum torque and
torque difference at similar blend composition that
attributed to strong interaction and good mixing. The
blends with NBR bale are more scorchy (showing rela-
tively low scorch time) and the optimum cure time for
a similar blend composition are more or less close to
each other. Also, it is seen that between these blends,
NBR powder produces in general a slightly higher cure
rate (determined from the slope of the initial steady part
of the torque rise zone for each blend).
Mechanical Properties
Table 4 also provides an interesting summary of the
mechanical properties of the blends with various com-
patibilizing agents. The tensile strength (TS) and mod-
ulus increase with the percent of PVC due to the
increasing of blend rigidity. The increasing of NBR
content in the blends also increases the elongation-at-
break, Eb, due to the decreasing of the stiffness of the
blend. However, it is apparent that the compatibilizing
agents improve the ultimate properties (TS, modulus)
as shown in this table due to the enhancement in inter-
facial adhesion between NBR and PVC. The MAH sys-
tem generally produces blends which shows signifi-
cantly higher TS and modulus because of good adhe-
sion with NBR and PVC toward PAH and SAH. These
compatibilizers are reinforcing additive and cause
decreasing in hardness. This effect could be interpreted
by the competing mechanisms taking place in the other
blends [29]. These additives behave as a processing aid
because of low molecular weight and viscosity, there-
fore, reduces the hardness.
Table 5 also provides the mechanical properties of

Table 5. Cure characteristics and mechanical properties of various NBR/PVC blends.

HB1 HB2 HB3 HP1 HP2 HP3 BP1 BP2 BP3

Moony viscosity 56 62.1 66.3 60 65 69.5 62 64.8 70

Rheometric properties
Maximum torque (lbf.in) 24 21.7 18.3 27.6 25.3 21.9 30 27.5 25
Minimum torque (lbf.in) 7.6 9.7 11.8 10.1 12.6 14.1 11.2 13.5 15.8
Torque difference (lbf.in) 16.4 12 6.5 17.5 12.7 7.8 18.8 14 9.2
Scorch time (min) 1.7 2 2.2 1.8 2 2.3 1.9 2.2 2.5
Optimum cure time, t95 (min) 13.9 14.7 16.1 13.7 14.3 15.7 13.6 14.2 15
Cure rate (lbf.in/min) 28.4 24.4 21.8 31 25.3 23.5 32.9 27 24.3

Mechanical properties
Tensile strength(MPa) 8.1 10.7 13.1 8.8 11.6 14.1 10 12.1 15.4
Elongation-at-break (%) 380 340 305 360 305 270 290 260 220
100% Modulus (MPa) 2.6 4.1 5.9 3.1 5.6 8.1 3.9 5.7 8.6
300% Modulus (MPa) 5.7 8.8 10.6 6.5 9.1 12.8 7.4 9.4 12.7
Hardness (Shore A) 61 65 70 69 72 74 71 74 79

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the blends with various mixing procedures and NBR
form. However, it is apparent that the NBR powder
increases the ultimate properties as shown in this table
due to the enhancement in interfacial adhesion between
NBR and PVC. The Brabender Plasticorder generally
produces blends which show significantly higher TS
and modulus because of good adhesion and mixing that
occurred in this mixer.
Swelling Studies
Both NBR and PVC are soluble in toluene. Although the
Haake-mixed blend, before moulding, is soluble in
toluene, the moulded blend swells only to a limited
extent, showing the presence of chemical cross-links
and good interfacial adhesion. The fact that the extent of
swelling depends on the degree of cross-linking and
interfacial adhesion is clear than the observation of the
swelling index in Table 4. However, at a similar blend
composition, the swelling index of blends with compat-
ibilizing agents is lower than control blends. This is
expected since compatibilized blends show the higher
rise in rheometric torque, which can be considered as
proportional to the enhancement in interfacial adhesion.
It can be observed from Figure 7 that the swelling
index of blends which were prepared in Brabender
Plasticorder is lower than other blends. This is expect-
ed since these blends show the higher rise in rheomet-
ric torque, which can be considered as proportional to
the enhancement in interfacial adhesion and have a bet-
ter mixing between NBR powder and PVC.
Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis
Spectroscopic analysis of samples gives an idea of the
nature of chemical interactions occurring during the
mixing of the blends with various compatibilizing
Figure 7. Swelling index versus blend composition of various
NBR/PVC blends.
Iranian Polymer Journal / Volume 15 Number 3 (2006)
An Investigation of Mechanical and Rheological ...
agents. Figure 8 shows the FTIR spectra of 50/50
NBR/PVC blend that were prepared with three types of
compatibilizing agent. A comparison of the spectra of
the blend shows the changes that occur with compatibi-
lizing agent. Figure 8 exhibits the olefinic C-H stretch-
ing frequency just above 2900 cm-1, the CH2 blending
vibration at above 1430 cm-1, ester vibration at
1272 cm-1, the vibration of CN at 2237 cm-1 from NBR
structure and C-H out-of-plane blending frequency at
968 cm-1. The peak centred at 1722 cm-1 represents the
carbonyl groups of ester from DOP. However, in the
spectrum of Figure 8b for NBR/PVC/MAH blend the
absence of C=C at 1680-1620 cm-1 of MAH structure
can be due to C-C radical of MAH which was grafted
with PVC. For NBR/PVC/PAH (Figure 8c), the aro-
matic C=C peak at 1536 cm-1 shows the grafting of
PAH with NBR and PVC. Exposure to NBR results in
the opening of anhydride ring to acid residues. Bands at
~1715 cm-1 (strong, represents the carbonyl groups of
ester from DOP, as well) and ~1780 cm-1 (weak) can be
observed for the ester group residues in Figures 8c and
8d. The OH stretching vibrations can be seen as a rela-
tively broad peak centered at ~ 3500 cm-1 which for
Figure 8. FTIR Spectrum of 50/50 NBR/PVC; (a) NBR/PVC,
(b) NBR/PVC/MAH, (c) NBR/PVC/PAH, (d) NBR/PVC/SAH.
233
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An Investigation of Mechanical and Rheological ...

(a)

(b)

(c)

Figure 9. Reaction mechanism of NBR/PVC with compatibi-

lizing agents; (a) NBR/PVCMAH, (b) NBR/PVC/PAH, (c)
NBR/ PVC/SAH.

NBR/PVC can be attributed to the hydrolysis of NBR

in the presence of moisture and HCl due to the degra-
dation of PVC [5]. For NBR/PVC/MAH, peak at ~
3500 cm-1 (weak) can be observed for the OH group
that was produced from opening ring of MAH. Because
of low concentration of OH group, the intensity of this
peak is very low.
Figure 9 shows the suggested reaction mechanism Figure 10. SEM Micrographs of tensile fracture surfaces of
of various anhydrides (MAH, PAH and SAH) with 50/50 NBR/PVC; (a) NBR/PVC, (b) NBR/PVC/MAH, (c) NBR/
NBR and PVC during melt mixing. PVC/PAH, (d) NBR/PVC/SAH.

234 Iranian Polymer Journal / Volume 15 Number 3 (2006)

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Figure 11. SEM Micrographs of tensile fracture surfaces of
70/30 NBR/PVC blends; (a) HB1, (b) HP1, (c) BP1.
Phase Morphology Studies
Phase morphology of tensile fractured surface of four
blend samples, a control blend and three blends com-
patibilized with PAH, MAH and SAH, based on 50/50
NBR/PVC composition is shown in Figure 10. In com-
patibilized blends case, the size of PVC domains (the
white zones) is usually smaller than pure control com-
Iranian Polymer Journal / Volume 15 Number 3 (2006)
An Investigation of Mechanical and Rheological ...
position. The PVC domains appear more uniformly dis-
persed and distributed into much finer domains in com-
patibilized blends which is an indication of the effect of
increased interaction between NBR and PVC blends, as
it can be seen from the presence of many tear lines on
the tensile fractured surfaces. This also goes to explain
well the differences in the mechanical properties profile
(TS, modulus) of the control blend and blends compat-
ibilized by MAH, PAH and SAH.
Phase morphology of tensile fractured surface of
three blend samples based on 70/30 NBR/PVC composi-
tion with various mixing procedures and NBR forms are
shown in Figure 11. In blends which are prepared with
NBR powder, the size of the PVC domains is usually
smaller than blend with NBR bale. The PVC domains
appear more uniformly dispersed and distributed into
much finer domains in HP1 and BP1 blends. This indi-
cates the effect of increased interaction between NBR
powder and PVC blends which can be seen from the pres-
ence of many tear lines on the tensile fractured surfaces.
CONCLUSION
From the processing study carried out in the torque
rheometer for NBR/PVC blends with various compati-
bilizing agents and the data of vulcanization parame-
ters, it was found that the incorporation of compatibi-
lizing agents has a good effect on the improvement of
mechanical properties and swelling behaviour of these
blends, which is evident from higher stabilization
torque and tensile strength, reduced swelling index and
infrared spectroscopic studies of blends. Morphology
study of tensile fractured surfaces indicates the
improvement of interfacial adhesion between NBR and
PVC phases in the presence of compatibilizing agent.
From these compatibilizing agent MAH has a good
effect on PAH and SAH.
But for blends of NBR/PVC with several of mixing
procedures and NBR form; it was found that the incor-
poration of NBR powder has a good effect on the
improvement of mechanical properties and swelling
behaviour of these blends, which is evident from
mechanical properties and swelling behaviour. It is
worth noting that the increasing effect of NBR powder
on mechanical properties could be due to fine particle
size and high surface area that well covered with PVC.
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