Effect of Rubber Particle Size and Graft Ratio on the Morphology and Tensile Properties of ABS Resins

Tensile properties and the phase morphologies of ABS resins with various rubber particle sizes and graft ratios of SAN are examined. Large rubber particles disperse well in ABS resins irrespective of the graft ratio. On the other hand, the graft ratio affects the dispersion state of the small rubber particle, particles with high graft ratio disperse well and those with low graft ratio tend to coalesce into large aggregates. These differences of the morphology strongly alter the deformation mechanism, such as craze formation and cavitation in the rubber particles. The effects of mixing of ABS resins with various graft ratio and particle size on the mechanical properties and phase morphology are also discussed.