Star-Branched Polyamides as the Matrix in Thermoplastic Composites

The aim of this study is the preparation of star-shaped branched polyamides (sPA6) with low melt viscosity, but also with improved mechanical properties by reactive extrusion. This configuration has been obtained by grafting a tri-functional, three-armed molecule: 5-aminoisophthalic-acid, used as a linking agent (LA). The balance between the fluidity, polarity and mechanical properties of sPA6s is the reason why these materials have been investigated for the impregnation of fabrics in the manufacture of thermoplastic composites. For these impregnation processes, the low viscosity of the melt has allowed the processing parameters (temperature, pressure and time) to be reduced, and its new microstructure has allowed the mechanical properties of virgin thermoplastic resins to be maintained. A significant improvement in the ultrasonic welding processes of the composites was also found when an energy director based on these materials was applied at the interface. In this work, an exhaustive microstructural characterization of the obtained sPAs is presented and related to the final properties of the composites obtained by film stacking.