Construction of Core‐Shell Structure in PA6/ABS/SEBS Blends for Achieving Stiffness‐Toughness Balance

A mixed system of styrene‐ethylene‐butene‐styrene copolymer (SEBS) and acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer (ABS) is used to modify polyamide 6 (PA6). The incorporation of maleic anhydride‐grafted SEBS (SEBS‐g‐MAH) facilitates a reaction between the anhydride functional groups and the terminal amine group of PA6, resulting in SEBS predominantly localizing at the interface between PA6 and ABS. This leads to the formation of core‐shell structure particles within the PA6 matrix, where ABS forms the hard core and SEBS constitutes the soft shell. As the content of SEBS‐g‐MAH increases, the thickness of SEBS shell grows, enhancing the impact strength of PA6/ABS (70/15) by 3.5 times at 30 parts of SEBS‐g‐MAH. The introduction of MAH‐grafted ABS as a compatibilizer in the PA6/ABS/SEBS‐g‐MAH (60/30/10) system significantly reduces the size of core‐shell particles, yielding a 3.4‐fold increase in impact strength and a simultaneous twofold increase in tensile strength at 10 parts of ABS‐g‐MAH. This dual enhancement provides an optimal balance between rigidity and toughness.