Dynamically vulcanized polyarylene sulfide composition

A method for forming a polyarylene sulfide composition, the method comprising:

• feeding a polyarylene sulfide to a melt processing unit having a length, wherein the polyarylene sulfide is a linear polyarylene sulfide containing less than about 1 mol. % of cross-linking units based on the total monomer units of the polyarylene sulfide;
• feeding an impact modifier to the melt processing unit, the polyarylene sulfide and the impact modifier mixing in the melt processing unit along a blending length of the melt processing unit such that the impact modifier becomes distributed throughout the polyarylene sulfide, the impact modifier comprising a reactive epoxy functionality, the ratio of the length of the melt processing unit to the blending length of the melt processing unit being from about 5 to abut 40;
• and
• feeding a polyfunctional crosslinking agent to the melt processing unit at the end of the blending length of the melt processing unit, the crosslinking agent being fed to the melt processing unit following distribution of the impact modifier throughout the polyarylene sulfide, the crosslinking agent comprising reactive functionality that is reactive to the reactive epoxy functionality of the impact modifier;
• and
• allowing the crosslinking agent and the impact modifier to react within the melt processing unit to form a crosslinked epoxy-functionalized impact modifier;
• wherein the composition exhibits a tensile elongation at break of about 50% or more as determined in accordance with ISO Test no. 527 at a temperature of 23° C. and at a speed of 50 mm/min.