Super Tough Polycaprolactam (PA6)-based Blends with Gas Barrier Properties

Xue-Ying Wu; Jie-Long Lin; Hong-Yao Xu

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3444-1

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Super Tough Polycaprolactam (PA6)-based Blends with Gas Barrier Properties

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-12-03

- Super Tough Polycaprolactam (PA6)-based Blends with Gas Barrier Properties
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 12, Pages: 2403-2412(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Research Center for Analysis and Measurement & College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
  b.Shanghai Kingfa Science & Technology DVPT Co., LTD, Shanghai 201714, China
  c.College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Fuyang University of Technology, Fuyang 236115, China
- Author bio：
  
  hongyaoxu@163.com
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3444-1
  CLC：
- Received：09 July 2025，
  
  Accepted：01 September 2025，
  
  Online First：12 November 2025，
  
  Published：15 December 2025
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Wu, X. Y.; Lin, J. L.; Xu, H. Y. Super tough polycaprolactam (PA6)-based blends with gas barrier properties. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2403–2412

Xue-Ying Wu, Jie-Long Lin, Hong-Yao Xu. Super Tough Polycaprolactam (PA6)-based Blends with Gas Barrier Properties[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2403-2412.
Wu, X. Y.; Lin, J. L.; Xu, H. Y. Super tough polycaprolactam (PA6)-based blends with gas barrier properties. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 2403–2412 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3444-1.

Xue-Ying Wu, Jie-Long Lin, Hong-Yao Xu. Super Tough Polycaprolactam (PA6)-based Blends with Gas Barrier Properties[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(12): 2403-2412. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3444-1.

摘要

This study constructed PA6/OMMT/mPOE/PTFE nanocomposites using PA6 as the substrate. The TB structure significantly improves the toughness and gas barrier performance of the material.

Abstract

Polycaprolactam (PA6) is an important engineering plastic known for its excellent strength and processability

making it widely applicable in the automotive and transportation industries. Previous studies have demonstrated that incorporating a small amount of organic-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) can significantly enhance the gas barrier properties of PA6. Based on PA6/OMMT

this study further introduced maleic anhydride-grafted ethylene-octyl copolymer (mPOE) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Morphological characterization revealed the successful manipulation of the microstructure within this toughening system

revealing a distinctive tassel bundle morphology in the ternary blend of PA6/mPOE/PTFE. in the quaternary PA6/OMMT/mPOE/PTFE system

scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated that the special “tassel bundle (TB)” morphology could induce an ordered arrangement of OMMT nanosheets

leading to synergistic improvements in both toughness and gas barrier performance. These findings offer promising potential for applications requiring simultaneously high gas barrier properties and enhanced toughness

particularly in hydrogen storage tanks and related industrial fields.

关键词

Keywords

references

Li J. H.; Durandet Y.; Huang X. D.; Sun G. Y.; Ruan, D. Additively manufactured fiber-reinforced composites: a review of mechanical behavior and opportunities. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 2022 , 119 , 219−244..

Wang W. Y.; Ma X.; Sun D. X.; Qi X. D.; Yang J. H.; Wang Y. Achieving electrical insulation, high thermal conductivity and high fracture toughness in polyamide 6/carbon nanofiber composites through the interfacial welding effect of elastomer. Compos. Part A-APPL. S. 2020 , 128 , 105671..

He F. M.; Xiao Y. F.; Zhang Q.; Jiang M.; Li X.; Guo D. M.; Chen L.; Liu B. W.; Wang Y. Z. Functional design of caprolactam for aliphatic polyamide with enhanced flame retardancy, mechanical robustness, and chemical recyclability. Chem. Eng. J. 2025 , 505 , 159551..

Jin W. J.; Cheng X. W.; Ma S. N.; Li L.; Wu R. K.; Guan J. P. Core-shell DOPO/caramel nano-polymer with desirable UV shielding and flame retardancy for polyamide 6 fabric. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 488 , 151125..

Zheng X.; Li Y. J.; Tang J. T.; Yu G. P. Structure and properties of PVDF/PA6 blends compatibilized by ionic liquid-grafted PA6. ACS Omega 2022 , 7 , 12772−12778..

He R.; Zhan X. L.; Zhang Q. H.; Chen F. Q. Toughening of polyamide-6 with little loss in modulus by block copolymer containing poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) segment. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44849..

Gao W. T.; Yu B. Y.; Li S. H.; Chen S.; Zhu Y. H.; Zhang B.; Zhang Y. L.; Cai H.; Han B. Preparation and properties of reinforced SEBS-based thermoplastic elastomers modified by PA6. Poly. Eng. Sci. 2022 , 62 , 1052−1060..

Wu P.; Zhang J. M.; Yang Z. H.; Zhao J. P. Molecular dynamics simulation of helium barrier performance of modified Polyamide 6 lining of IV hydrogen storage tank with montmorillonite. Molecules 2023 , 28 , 3333..

Abdul S. S.; Zhang C.; Song X. Q.; Weng Y. X.; Du Q. Y. Design of novel PLA/OMMT films with improved gas barrier and mechanical properties by intercalating OMMT interlayer with high gas barrier polymers. Polymers 2021 , 13 , 3962..

Liu Y. W.; Liu J. J.; Ding Q.; Tan J. H.; Chen J. Y.; She Z. H.; Tang A.; Zeng K. J. Enhanced gas barrier and thermal properties of polyimide/montmorillonite nanocomposites as a result of “dual-lane” structure effect. Polym. Compos. 2018 , 39 , 1725−1732..

He W. T.; Zhu H.; Xiang Y. S.; Long L. J.; Qin S. H.; Yu J. Enhancement of flame retardancy and mechanical properties of polyamide 6 by incorporating an aluminum salt of diisobutylphosphinic combined with organoclay. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 2017 , 144 , 442−453..

Sun Y.; Lv H.; Zhou W.; Zhang C. M. Research on hydrogen permeability of polyamide 6 as the li ner material for type IV hydrogen storage tank. Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 2020 , 45 , 24980−24990..

Moisés G.; Humberto P.; Raúl Q. Influence of organically-modified montmorillonite and synthesized layered silica nanoparticles on the properties of polypropylene and polyamide-6 nanocomposites. Polymers 2016 , 8 , 386..

Lin J. L.; Wu X. Y.; Xu H. Y. Mechanism and properties of super-toughened ternary blends with unique 'tassel-bundle' morphology. Compos. Part A-Appl. S. 2024 , 181 , 108143..

Mazidi M. M.; Mir K. R. A.; Hossein A. K.; Uta R. Structure-property relationships in super-toughened polypropylene-based ternary blends of core-shell morphology. RSC Adv. 2016 , 6 , 1508−1526..

Liao Y. L.; Ricardo A.; Pérez C.; Ma T. Y.; Maiz J. Antxon M. D. I.; Haritz S.; Liu G. M.; Wang D. J.; Alejandro J. M. Mixed isodimorphic/isomorphic crystallization in aliphatic random copolycarbonates. Macromolecules 2024 , 57 , 10227−10239..

Dou R.; Wang W.; Zhou Y.; Li L.P.; Gong L.; Yin B.; Yang M. B. Effect of core-shell morphology evolution on the rheology, crystallization, and mechanical properties of PA6/EPDM-g-MA/HDPE ternary blend. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2013 , 129 , 253−262..

Aparna S.; Purnima. D. Influence of PP content on mechanical properties, water absorption, and morphology in PA6/PP blend. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47690..

Sui X. W.; Xie X. M. Creating super-tough and strong PA6/ABS blends using multi-phase compatibilizers. Chin. Chem. Lett. 2018 , 30 , 149−152..

Wei Z. Z.; Wang R.; Zhang C. C.; Wang J. F.; Yang Y. Y.; Wang W. J.; Cao Y. X. Preparation and characterization of super-toughened PA6/r-PVB blends with "transplanted" multicore morphology by reactive compatibilization. Eur. Polym. J. 2021 , 143 , 110173..

Wei Z. Z.; Wang R.; Wang J. F.; Yang Y. Y.; Liu Y. K.; Wang W. J.; Cao. Y. X. Highly toughened PA6 using residue of plasticized PVB film via two-step reactive melt blending. Polymer 2020 , 186 , 122052..

Wu Y. J.; Zhang H.; Shentu B. Q.; Weng Z . X. In situ formation of the core-shell particles and their function in toughening PA6/SEBS-g-MA/PP Blends. Ind. Eng. Chem. 2017 , 56 , 11657−11663..

Dou R.; Wang W.; Zhou Y.; Gong L.; Yin B.; Yang M. B. Encapsulated phase structure and morphology evolution during quiescent annealing in ternary polymer blends with PA6 as matrix. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 39937..

Reza K.; Seyed H. J.; Mohammad R. S.; Hossein A. K.; Udo W.; Gert H. Toward in situ compatibilization of polyolefin ternary blends through morphological manipulations. Macromol. Mater. Eng. 2014 , 299 , 1197−1212..

Mohammad S. A.; Ramin M.; Shervin A. The correlation between morphological variations and thermo-mechanical properties of the PA6/PC/PP ternary blends: an established boundary between structures. Polym. Test. 2021 , 93 , 106930..

Nick V.; Patrick D.; Gilles L.; Basil D. F. In situ measure of interfacial tensionsin ternary and quaternary immiscible polymer blends demonstrating partial wetting. Macromolecules 2009 , 42 , 7518−7529..

Aravind D.; Yu Z. Z.; Mai Y. W. Transcrystalline regions in the vicinity of nanofillers in polyamide-6. Macromolecules 2007 , 40 , 123−130..

Arup R. B.; Anup K. G.; Ashok M.; Eichhorn K. G. Reactively compatibilised polyamide6/ethylene-co-vinyl acetate blends: mechanical properties and morphology. Polymer 2005 , 46 , 1661−1674..

Liang H.; Favis B. D.; Yu Y. S.; Eisenberg A. Correlation between the interfacial tension and dispersed phase morphology in interfacially modified blends of LLDPE and PVC. Macromolecules 1999 , 32 , 1637−1642..

Ticiane S. V.; Augusto T. M.; Nicole R. D. Study of morphologies of PMMA/PP/PS ternary blends. Macromolecules 2006 , 39 , 2663−2675..

Pierre L. C.; Basil D. F. Effect of viscosity in ternary polymer blends displaying partial wetting phenomena. Polymer 2011 , 52 , 3827−3834..

Sepehr R.; Basil D. F. Morphological states for a ternary polymer blend demonstrating complete wetting. Polymer 2010 , 51 , 4547−4561..

Wang D.; Li Y.; Xie X. M.; Guo. B. H. Compatibilization and morphology development of immiscible ternary polymer blends. Polymer 2011 , 52 , 191−200..

Hobbs S. Y.; Dekkers M. E. J.; Watkins V. H. Effect of interfacial forces on polymer blend morphologies. Polymer 1988 , 29 , 1598−1602..

Owens D. K.; Wendt R. C. Estimation of the surface free energy of polymers. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 1969 , 13 , 1741−1747..

Wu Y. J.; Zhang H.; Shentu B. Q.; Weng Z. X. Relationship between structure and properties in high-performance PA6/SEBS-g-MA/(PPO/PS) blends: the role of PPO and PS. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45281..

Lin T. C.; Chang J. S.; Lee D. J. Hydrophobic cotton fabric with 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/1-octadecanethiol modification for oil/water separation. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 2023 , 253 , 126748..

Rowe. R. C. Polar/non-polar interactions in the granulation of organic substrates with polymer binding agents. Int. J. Pharm. 1989 , 56 , 117−124..

Cathy A. F.; Ana R. M.; Jeffrey T. K. Interfacial modification through end group complexation in polymer blends. Macromolecules 1994 , 27 , 379−385..

Lee, S., Han, H. S., Lee, J. H.; Jeong, J.; Seong, D. G. EPDM rubber-reinforced PA6/EVOH composite with enhanced gas barrier properties and injection moldability for hydrogen tank liner. Fiber. Polym. 2024 , 25 , 2327−2335..

Views

107

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Synthesis of a Biomass Tyramine-derived Hydroxyl-amide Nucleating Agent and Its Effect on Crystallization and Properties of Polyamide 6

Unleashing the Power of Bio-based Thermotropic Liquid Crystal Modifiers: Toughening and Reinforcing Petroleum-based Epoxy Resin without Compromising Other Properties

Enhancing Processability of Phenylethynyl-terminated Imide Oligomers and Properties of Cured Polyimides via ―CF3 Incorporation

Improvements of Hydrophobicity and Toughness of Epoxy Coatings Modified with Hydroxyl-terminated Fluororubber

Manipulating Hierarchical Aggregation Structure via Film-forming Kinetics Enables Organic Photovoltaics over 20% Efficiency

Related Author

Cai-Hong Lei

Rui-Jie Xu

Jiang-Hua Lin

Jing-Bo Wu

Wen-Hao Xiao

Jia-Le Wu

Hong-Wei Gu

Qing-Yun Lu

Related Institution

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Soft Condensed Matter, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology

Thermochemistry Laboratory, Liaoning Province Key Laboratory of Thermochemistry for Energy and Materials, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, Liaoning Technology Innovation Center of High Performance Resin Materials, Department of Polymer Science & Engineering, Dalian University of Technology

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University

Key Laboratory of Materials Processing & Mold (Zhengzhou University), Ministry of Education; National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Polymer Processing Technology, Zhengzhou University

⁰