Effect of Catalyst and Activator on Properties of Polyamide 6 Prepared by Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding Technology

Abstract

Thermoplastic resin transfer molding technology has attracted much attention due to the possibility of manufacturing recyclable structural thermoplastic-based composites. Polyamide 6 obtained from anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of ε-caprolactam (CL) has been prepared using T-RTM technology. When suitable catalyst and activator are used, the transformation occurs at a significantly faster reaction rate. Four different formulations were prepared. The influence of catalyst and activator amount on chemical, thermal and mechanical properties were analyzed. Higher monomer conversions and molecular weight were obtained for samples with lower catalyst and activator content, indicating a pronounced effect of concentrations on final samples properties. Mechanical analyses also corroborated these behavior. Optimizing PA6 formulations is necessary, to achieve reproducible materials with desirable properties.