ABSTRACT:The compatibilizing effect of the ionomer, poly(styrene-co-sodium acrylate) (PSSAc), on immiscible blends of polystyrene (PS)/polyamide 6 (PA6) was studied by mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy. The PSSAc acts as an effective compatibilizer because both the deformation at break (%) obtained by tensile stress-strain tests and the impact rupture energy are larger in blends containing small amounts of PSSAc. The morphologies of the fractured surfaces produced by tensile stress-strain tests of blends with or without the ionomer confirm that PSSAc increases the interfacial adhesion between PS and PA6 phases.

Recently the membrane separation processes have very often been used due to the simplicity and elegance of the selective gas, ions, or molecules transport through a very thin "barrier".Separation and recovery of metals has become very important in the last ten years because of the uncontrolled spread of the substances in the environment. The problem of selective elimination of toxic metallic ions from aqueous solutions followed by their recovery and reuse has a great ecological and economic importance.In this paper, the method of obtaining a new type of activated composite membrane is presented. The membrane obtained is characterised by different modern techniques and its behaviour is tested in the separation processes of metals, such as zinc (Zn), and gallium (Ga), from wastewaters. Metal content is determined by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).