The thermal oxidative stability and the effect of water on gas transport and mechanical properties of blends of polyamide 6 (PA6) with ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and EVOH modified with carboxyl groups (EVOH-COOH) have been investigated. The presence of EVOH reduces water vapor and oxygen gas permeability of polyamide, as well as small amounts of EVOH-COOH further improve barrier properties, especially to oxygen. This has been explained in terms of improved interactions of the blend constituents in the amorphous phase, due to ionic linkages between the polyamide amino groups and the carboxyls of modified EVOH. The permeation to gases was found to increase with the amount of sorbed water. The morphology of the samples was found to have an effect on barrier properties, as the presence of EVOH causes the PA6 alpha crystalline form to increase, lowering the permeability to oxygen and water vapor. Mechanical properties are strongly affected by water sorption, as tensile modulus and strength decrease with increasing water content. Chemiluminescence (CL), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and tensile test were employed in order to assess the correlation between chemical composition and the thermal oxidative stability of the films aged at 110 degrees C in air. CL experiments suggest that the presence of EVOH and EVOH-COOH efficiently inhibits the formation of peroxidized species during the processing, and increases the thermal oxidative stability of the films. Infrared spectroscopy showed a build-up of carbonyl absorption in the range 1700-1780 cm(-1), due to the formation of oxidation products, which is greater in the case of the pure polymer. Tensile tests on films revealed a reduction in ductility as a result of ageing for neat PA6, whereas in comparison the blends exhibit a far better long-term stability. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.