Nylon6/rubber TPVs with a high amount of dispersed rubber, displaying good strain recovery
and mechanical properties, can be prepared using both reactive compatibilisation and dynamic
vulcanisation. By slightly crosslinking the rubber phase during melt-mixing, it is possible to finely
disperse 60 wt% rubber in the nylon matrix. The viscosity ratio rubber/nylon plays a crucial role in
order to achieve a nylon/rubber TPV with a fine rubber dispersion. The viscosity of the nylon phase
should be low enough to shift the phase inversion point towards higher rubber contents, whereby the
nylon phase already forms the matrix in the beginning of the melt-mixing operation, on account of the
slightly crosslinked rubber phase. In our blend system droplets even break up for a viscosity ratio
(rubber/nylon) of more than 8, due to the decrease in interfacial tension between the phases and
suppression of coalescence by reactive compatibilisation and dynamic vulcanisation. On the other
hand, the viscosity of the nylon should also not to be too low; this leads to a coarse blend morphology
resulting in a deterioration of the mechanical properties and poor elasticity behaviour.