Effect of polyamide 6 on the mechanical behavior of thermoplastic polyurethanes/polyamide 6 blends

Ductility and tensile strength are among the basic mechanical properties of polymers. Generally, it is difficult to enhance the ductility without significantly reducing the tensile strength. In this study, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is mixed with 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% polyamide 6 (PA6). The results show that the sample containing 100% TPU has the largest elongation of 690.5%. When PA6 is added, the elongation decreases gradually to 635.0%, 623.1%, 529.5%, 476.0%, 391.3%, and 242.8%, corresponding to 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%, and 100% PA6, respectively. The tensile strengths are 36.7, 33.8, 29.4, 26.5, 23.1, and 24.9 MPa, corresponding to 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% PA6 samples, respectively. The tensile strength decreases gradually when the PA6 content is increased. Notably, the tensile strength of the 12.5% PA6 sample increases compared to the 10% PA6 sample. In addition, the hardness of the TPU/PA blend increases slightly as the PA6 ratio is increased. Finally, scanning electron microscope images demonstrate that PA6 particles act as particles dispersed or dissolved in TPU/PA blends.