Preparation and properties of UHMWPE/PA1010 alloys

UHMWPE-g-AA graft copolymer was synthesized by mutual radiation grafting. UHMWPE/PA1010 alloys were prepared by blending UHMWPE，UHMWPE-g-AA and PA1010. UHMWPE-g-AA graft copolymer serves as compatibilizer in the alloys. Due to the strong interaction between PA1010 and UHMWPE-g-AA，the impact strength and elongation at break of UHMWPE/PA1010 alloys were improved，which indicates the increase of toughness of the alloys. The compatibilization effect limits the crystallization process of PA1010，which leads to the decrease of the normal crystals and the shift of the crystallization temperature to the higher temperature. SEM result shows that the compatibilization reaction decreases the interfacial tension and increases the interfacial strength，which makes UHMWPE disperse in the PA1010 matrix uniformly and in small particle size. The tension phenomenon can be clearly observed. Compared to the pure PA1010，the friction coefficients of the blends decrease. UHMWPE forms an intact protection film on PA1010 surface，which decreases the abrasion loss and the friction coefficients.