Chemiluminescence in evaluating the thermal oxidative stability of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers. II. ABS/polycarbonate (PC) blends

The thermal oxidative stability of various ABS/PC compounds was studied by means of the chemiluminescence technique. Similarly to pure ABS, Irganox 1076 and Irganox MD 1024 perform as moderate antioxidants in ABS/PC and (ABS/PC + lubricant) blends. Neither Tinuvin 144, Irgaphos 168, nor their mixture affects the durability of the ABS/PC blend. At the same time, (Irgaphos 168 + Tinuvin 144) in combination with Irganoxes was found to provide a noticeable enhancement in durability to the (ABS/PC + lubricant) system. Titanium dioxide pigments by themselves have only a slight influence on the oxidative stability of the ABS/PC blend. Durability of the (ABS/PC + pigment) and (ABS/PC + lubricant) systems was found to be the same and the overall protective effect of Irganox 1076 was similar in both the (ABS/PC + lubricant) and the (ABS/PC + lubricant + pigment) systems. Certain modifiers significantly improve the durability of the ABS/PC compounds, although their function may differ in the systems with and without pigments.Guest Editor: Dr. Graham Swift, Rohm & Haas.