IMPROVEMENT IN LOW-TEMPERATURE TOUGHNESS OF POLY(VINYLCHLORIDE) BY COCROSSLINKING WITH POLYETHYLENE.

A binary blending of two incompatible polymers, poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) and polyethylene (PE), was successfully performed through a partial cocrosslinking reaction with peroxide to give cocrosslinked blends with a uniform dispersion of small PE-particles and with improved mechanical property. The results were contributed through the formation of a crosslinked product which acts as a potential solid-phase dispersant as well as a well-bonded reinforcing interlayer on PE-particles uniformly dispersed in the PVC matrix. In this paper, a dramatic reduction in brittleness, which is a fatal defect in rigid PVC, is reported on the resulting blends through a partial cocrosslinking reaction.