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An increasing number of polymer alloys made by reactive processing of a compatibilizer precursor (CP) to form the compatibilizer in situ have appeared in recent years. Literature reports on compatibilization studies have focused on interactions of chemistry‐morphology, processing‐morphology, morphology‐rheology, morphology‐properties, etc. In commercial alloys, the interaction of chemistry and processing results in a material that has a balance of physical properties and rheological behavior. To maximize the contribution of each phase, it is of interest to be near the phase inversion region. In this work, maleic anhydride functionalized polyethylene is used as an effective CP for polyamide/polyethylene blends. In blends containing 50% nylon 6, the melt viscosity of the alloy increases exponentially as the ratio of CP to polyethylene increases though the morphology remains dispersed polyamide 6. High ratios of CP/PE are desired for toughness, alloys containing lesser amounts of CP exhibit better processability. The balance of toughness and processability is shown to be affected by the molecular weight of the CP.

The validity of extrapolating the reactivity of low molar mass compounds in solution to the polymer‐analogous chemistry between polymer‐bound functionality is investigated for the reaction of primary amines with cyclic anhydrides in the moderately polar solvents, anisole and tetraethyleneglycol dimethylether. The kinetics of amic‐acid formation and imidization of polymeric and small molecule mixtures measured by Fourier‐Transform Infrared Spectroscopy at near‐ambient and elevated temperatures are compared. A Significant decrease in both reaction rates is observed upon changing the primary amine from aliphatic to benzylic, benzylic to 1,2‐diphenylethylamine, and 1,2‐diphenylethylamine to polystyrene‐bound 1,2‐diphenylethylamine. Reasons for the influence of polymer‐bound chemical functionality on the reaction rates for these amines are discussed. The imidization step is found to be rate limiting in the reaction of phthalic anhydride with benzylamine at the functional group concentrations reported (0.14M or less). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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