TOUGHENING AGENTS

The improvement of physical properties, particularly impact strength, is the role of an important group of additives,
both for thermoplastics and thermosets. The aim is to compensate for inherent brittleness, or embrittlement occurring at
subzero temperatures, notch sensitivity, and crack propagation. The mechanism is normally to introduce a component
that can absorb the energy of an impact, or dissipate it. One of the main methods is to introduce microscopic particles
of rubber, but there is also considerable interest in the surface treatment of fillers and other additives, such as pigments,
to give them an impact modification function also and so add to their value.
A key requirement of an impact modifier is its ability to bond, either mechanically or, more recently, chemically, with
the matrix polymer. It is important, however, to differentiate between impact modification and reinforcement. In some
polymer matrices, reinforcement such as glass fibre actually makes the matrix more brittle (and an impact modifier has
to be included).

Toughners for PVC

Toughners for PVC include methyl butadiene styrene (MBS) and acrylics. MBS modifiers improve the impact strength
of PVC compounds without sacrificing the other characteristics. They are used for a variety of rigid and semirigid
applications and processes, such as blow moulding of bottles, calendering of film and sheet, extrusion of profiles, and
injection moulding of technical parts. Some types can also be tailored to suit specific requirements.
Acrylic modifiers also significantly improve impact characteristics, but offer particularly good weather resistance. The
main applications are profiles, pipes and sheets. Co-monomers are used in the reactor, but additive forms are gaining in
popularity.
ABS modifiers claimed to provide better optical properties than is normally available from MBS modifiers, with
especially good haze and transparency, is an ABS-based high impact modifier for PVC

Elastomer Modification
Rubber has always been used as a component or additive to plastics. Essentially the rubber provides a network of
'buffers' in the plastic matrix, forming an energy-absorbing or dissipating phase, that will physically absorb or dissipate
the energy of an impact, over a broad range of temperature (especially at the lower rather than the higher end of the
scale). It is important, though, to choose a rubber with the right volume fraction, morphology and interaction with the
plastic matrix is commonly obtained by in-situ reactor polymerization, grafting or melt blending.

The classic technology is the modification of general purpose polystyrene with styrene butadiene to produce high
impact PS. Butadiene has also long been used, especially in ABS.

With the advent of polyolefins, a different system was needed, especially when, with the development of PP, it was
clear that its useful mechanical properties fell off rapidly at temperatures below 0°C. A compatible elastomer, EPDM
was used - again, first as a mechanical blend and subsequently as a reactor-made combination.
Acrylic rubber
Acrylic elastomers have previously been used only in the rubber industry and conventional polymers (EEA or core-
shell acrylate polymers) are based on the rubber in hard phases. Based on the soft phase only, however, EniChem's
Europrene AR uses original technology for modification of PA 6 with conventional acrylic rubber in granule form. It
increases the specific rubber efficiency in the impact resistance characteristics, so differing from other traditional
elastomers (EPR, SEBS) used in modification of nylon.

Styrenics
Styrenic block copolymers and their compounds have been in widespread commercial use for many years, with many
applications. With the latest technology, they have become particularly interesting as Toughnersfor plastics, both
thermoplastics and thermosets. Most polymers are thermodynamically incompatible with others polymers and mixtures
tend to separate into two phases, even when they are part of the same molecule, as in block copolymers. Poly(styrene-
P-elastomer-P-styrene) copolymers, in which the elastomer is the main constituent, give a structure in which the
polystyrene end-segments form separate spherical regions ('domains') dispersed in a continuous phase.
At room temperature, the polystyrene segments are hard and act as physical cross-links, tying the elastomer chain
together in a three-dimensional network, not unlike the network that is formed by cross-linking of thermosetting rubber
during vulcanization.