Polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions

Claim 1

An improved polyphenylene ether-polyamide composition exhibiting reduced water absorption and improved resistance to swell upon exposure to moisture consisting essentially of: (a) at least one polyphenylene ether; (b) at least one polyamide; and (c) an effective water absorption reducing amount of at least one effective polyhydric phenol, said amount being from about 1 to about 20 parts by weight of said polyhydric phenol per 100 parts by weight of (a) and (b), selected from polyhydric phenols represented by the formulae: ##STR8## wherein n has a value of from 2 to 3 inclusive, m has a value of from 3 to 4 inclusive and (n+m)=6, p is one or two, each r independently has a value of from 0 to 2 inclusive, each s independently has a value of from 2 to 4 inclusive, t has a value of from 0 to 4 inclusive, each R is hydrogen, and each R' independently selected from a direct carbon-carbon bond or a bridge member selected from divalent alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, hydroxy aryl or alkyl hydroxy aryl, including halogen substituted derivatives thereof, divalent ester or amide radicals, and hetero atom containing bridges selected from ##STR9## provided that there are no phenolic hydroxy groups having two adjacent alkyl radicals to the phenyl ring with tertiary alpha carbon atoms.