PREPARATION OF BISPHENOL A EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE DISPERSIONS BY THE PHASE INVERSION EMULSIFICATION TECHNIQUE*

The phase inversion emulsification technique (PIET) is an effective physical method for preparing waterbornedispersions of polymer resins. Some results concerning the preparation of bisphenol A epoxy resin waterborne dispersions byPIET in our laboratory were summarized. Electrical properties, rheological behavior and morphological evolution duringphase inversion progress were systematically characterized. The effects of the emulsifier concentration and emulsificationtemperature on phase inversion progress and the structural features of the waterborne particles were studied as well. Thedeformation and break up of water drops in a shear field were analyzed in terms of micro-rheology, while the interaction andcoalescence dynamics of water drops were discussed in terms of DLVO theory and Smoluchowski effective collision theory,respectively. Based on the experimental results and theoretical analysis, a physical model of phase inversion progress wassuggested, by which the effects of the parameters on phase inversion progress and the structural features of the waterborneparticles were interpreted and predicted.     

RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE DISPERSIONS

The waterborne dispersions of epoxy resin were prepared by the phase inversion emulsification technique.Rheological behavior and its relationship with the structural change of the systems were studied. It was shown that theconcentrated dispersions were highly viscoelatic and pseudoplastic, which was attributed to the formation of a physicalnetwor among tbe waterborne particles via hydrogen bond. The dilutc dispersions were Newtonian fluids. The discreteclusters composed of small waterborne particles were found in diluted dispersions. With increasing solid content, thereexisted a structural transition via percolation through a cluster-cluster aggregation mode to form the physical network, whichwas qualitatively evidenced by the TEM morphologies.     

FRACTAL CHARACTER OF PHASE MORPHOLOGY OF HIGH IMPACT POLYSTYRENE/POLY（cis-BUTADIENE） RUBBER BLENDS

Evolution and fractal character of the phase morphology of high impact polystyrene/poly（cis-butadiene） rubber （HIPS/PcBR） blends during melting and mixing were investigated using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The characteristic length L was defined as the size of particles of the dispersed phase in blends. Different fractal dimensions, Df and Din, were introduced to study the distribution width of phase dimensions in the dimensionless region and the uniformity of the spatial distribution of particles, respectively. The results showed that the average characteristic length Lm and Df increase as the volume fraction of the dispersed phase increases, when the volume fraction of the dispersed phase is lower than 50%. In other words, the size of particles increases and their distribution in the dimensionless region becomes more uniform. Meanwhile, the uniformity of the spatial distribution becomes more perfect as the volume fraction increases. At a certain composition, Lm decreases in the initial stage of the mixing and levels off in the late stage. In the initial stage, Df becomes large rapidly with the process of blending, which means that the distribution of L in the dimensionless region becomes more uniform. Meanwhile, the spatial distribution tends to be ideal rapidly in the early stage and fluctuates in a definite range in the late stage of the mixing.     

MICRO-PHASE SAEPARATION IN EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE PARTICLES DURING CURING PROCESS

Sub-micron sized phenolic epoxy resin waterborne particles were prepared by phase inversion emulsification. Micro-phase separation occurred during the curing process at high temperature. The as-prepared samples possessed one glass transition temperature （Tg） and two exothermal processes during DSC heating scannings. After being thermally treated above the exothermal peak temperature, they possessed two glass transition temperatures with the disappearance of exothermal peaks, whilst a core/shell structure was formed. This was likely related with the outward diffusion of reactive oligomers to the outer layer of particles.     

MECHANICAL MODEL FOR TWO-PHASE POLYMER BLEND SYSTEMS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PHASE INVERSION

For two-phase polymer blend systems, the phase inversion will take place as the blendcomposition is changed. In this paper a mechanical model has been proposed to describe themodulus-composition relation in the phase inversion region. The application of the mechanicalmodel to two polyurethane blend systems has been studied. It was found that the theoreticalprediction for the modulus-composition relation is quite consistent with the experimentalresults. Furthermore, the characteristics of the phase inversion can be determined uniquelyby the parameters involved in the mechanical model.     

The Aqueous Dispersions of Bicontinuous Cubic Phases Formed by Precursor Method

The morphologies and the microstructures of the dispersed particles of the cubic phase, which were formed by precursor method, were studied. The freeze-fracture TEM clearly showed that the aqueous dispersed particles have irregular cubic shapes. X-ray diffraction technique has been utilized to study the microstructure of the particles and it was found that these particles still retained the cubic character. The sizes of the particles were measured by dynamic light scattering, and the results showed that the sizes of the dispersed particles were between 200～400 nm under different conditions.     

INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL-BASED NONSOLVENTS ON THE FORMATION AND MORPHOLOGY OF PVDF MEMBRANES IN PHASE INVERSION PROCESS

Through the preparation of PVDF membranes using various nonsolvent coagulation baths following the phase inversion process, the influence of alcohol-based nonsolvents on the formation and structure of PVDF membranes were investigated. The light scattering and light transmission measurements were used to characterize the equilibrium phase diagram and the gelation speed, respectively. The locations of the crystallization-induced gelation boundaries for various systems and precipitation processes were explained from the corresponding thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. It was found that the better affinity between alcohol-based nonsolvents and DMAc solvent caused the gelation boundaries further away from the PVDF-DMAc axis with the coagulation bath varying from water, methanol, ethanol to iso-propanol. Due to the lower exchange rate of DMAc and alcohols, the delayed demixing took place for the membrane-forming using alcohols as baths, and the delayed time became longer when the coagulation bath was changed from methanol, ethanol to iso-propanol. The characterization results of membranes indicate that the influence of nonsolvents on the phase diagram and the precipitation process are in agreement with those on the membrane morphology. The better thermodynamic stability and a low exchange diffusion rate of PVDF/DMAc/alcohols favor the liquid-solid phase separation in gelation process, and therefore yield the membranes with a porous upper surface, a particular bottom surface and symmetrical structure.     

EFFECT OF PROCESSING METHOD ON THE IMPACT STRENGTH OF POM/TPU/CaCO3 TERNARY COMPOSITES

Polyoxymethylene （POM）/elastomer/filler ternary composites were prepared, in which thermoplastic polyurethane （TPU） and inorganic filler, namely, CaCO3, were used to achieve balanced mechanical properties of POM. The dispersion and phase morphology of POM/elastomer/filler composites were found to depend largely on processing method, CaCO3 content in masterbatch and the filler size. Two processing methods were employed to prepare POM/elastomer/filler ternary composites. One is called the one-step method, in which elastomer and the filler directly melt blended with POM matrix. The other is called the two-step method, in which the elastomer and the filler were mixed to get masterbatch first, which was then melt blended with pure POM of different content. The effect of phase morphology and processing method on impact strength was investigated. It was found that the two-step method results in an increase in impact strength but not for the one-step method. Additionally, the impact strength of POM ternary composites decreases with the increase in the size of CaCO3 particles.     

HYDRODYNAMIC AND THERMODYNAMIC EFFECTS IN PHASE INVERSION EMULSIFICATION PROCESS OF EPOXY RESIN IN WATER

The mechanism of phase inversion emulsification process （PIE） was studied for waterborne dispersion of highly viscous epoxy resin using non-ionic polymeric surfactants. Drop deformation and breakup, rheological properties, conductivity, and particle size measurements reveal the micro-structural transition amid emulsification. It is revealed that strong flow causes water drop to burst with the formation of droplets and huge interface. Phase inversion corresponds to an abrupt rheological transition from a type of viscous melt with weak elasticity to a highly elastic type of aqueous gel. This implies that the phase inversion equivalent to a curvature inversion. Based on this, a geometric model is postulated to correlate process variables to the particle size. The coverage and conformation of the surfactant plays key role for the particle size of the final emulsion. The interactions of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic effects are also discussed. It is concluded that the thermodynamics control the PIE while the hydrodynamics drives the creation of interface and involves every step of PIE.     

EFFECT OF COMPATIBILITY ON PHASE MORPHOLOGY AND ORIENTATION OF ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE （IPP） BLENDS OBTAINED BY DYNAMIC PACKING INJECTION MOLDING

The effect of compatibility on phase morphology and orientation of isotactic polypropylene （iPP） blends under shear stress was investigated via dynamic packing injection molding （DPIM）. The compatibility of iPP blended with other polymers, namely, atactic polypropylene （aPP）, octane-ethylene copolymer （POE）, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber （EPDM） and poly（ethylene-co-vinyl acetate） （EVA）, have first been studied using dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）. These blends were subjected to DPIM, which relies on the application of shear stress fields to the melt/solid interfaces during the packing stage by means of hydraulically actuated pistons. The phase morphology, orientation and mechanical properties of the injection-molded samples were characterized by SEM, 2D WAXS and Instron. For incompatible iPP/EVA blends, a much elongated and deformed EVA particles and a higher degree of iPP chain orientation were observed under the effect of shear. However, for compatible iPP/aPP blends, a less deformed and elongated aPP particles and less oriented iPP chains were deduced. It can be concluded that the compatibility between the components decreases the deformation and orientation in the polymer blends. This is most likely due to the hindering effect, resulting from the molecular entanglement and interaction in the compatible system.     

高分子水基微粒形态与界面膜性质的关系

高分子水基微粒形态与界面膜性质的关系杨振忠赵得禄许元泽徐懋（中国科学院化学研究所高分子物理开放实验室北京１０００８０）关键词高分子树脂，相反转，水基微粒，界面膜相反转技术是制备高分子树脂微粒化水基化体系的新方法［１］，正成为高分子技术的一个热门方向...     

相反转技术制备环氧树脂水基体系——相反转过程的流变行为研究

对高乳化剂浓度下的相反转发展过程的流变行为进行了应力扫描、动态频率扫描实验表征．结果表明，乳化剂浓度较高时，体系发生完全相反转；体系在相反转点前为Ｗ／Ｏ结构，其粘度几乎不随剪切应力的改变而改变，表现为牛顿流体行为；体系在相反转点后为Ｏ／Ｗ结构，具有很高的粘弹性，并且在较高剪切应力下表现为典型的假塑性．这是由于高分子水基微粒间通过其表面覆盖的表面活性剂与水形成氢键而产生了一种静态结构，此结构在较高剪切应力作用下破坏而导致假塑性．     

不完全相反转发展过程的流变行为

以动态应力流变仪ＤＳＲ（ＤｙｎａｍｉｃＳｔｒｅｓＲｈｅｏｍｅｔｅｒ）对双酚Ａ型环氧树脂在低乳化剂浓度（２３３ｗｔ％）下的相反转乳化过程进行了稳态应力扫描及动态频率扫描实验．实验结果表明,体系在相反转点前表现为牛顿流体行为,粘度几乎不变;相反转点时,体系粘度增加幅度很小,体系的有关动态流变参数（剪切储能模量、损耗模量和复数粘度）均出现极小值,将此归于局部连续水相的润滑作用;进一步加水,体系的动态流变量增加,意味着相反转在相反转点后仍在继续进行．所以,体系在低乳化剂浓度时,发生了不完全相反转．     

Phase inversion of the Pickering emulsions stabilized by plate-shaped clay particles

We investigated the phase inversion of Pickering emulsions stabilized by plate-shaped clay particles. Addition of water induced a phase inversion from a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion to an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion when the amount of the oil phase exceeded a limiting amount of oil absorption to solid particles. On the other hand, a phase inversion from a powdery state to an O/W emulsion state through an oil-separated state is observed when the amount of an oil phase is less than the limiting amount of the oil absorption. Interestingly, the oil separated is re-dispersed as emulsion droplets into the O/W emulsion phase. This type of phase inversion, which is a feature of the Pickering emulsions stabilized by the clay particles, is caused by a change in the aggregate structures of particles.     

不完全相反转乳化过程分散相水滴形态发展研究

相反转乳化技术是制备高分子树脂水基分散体系的新方法[1～4].相反转指多组分体系(如油/水/乳化剂)中的连续相在一定条件下相互转化的过程,如在油/水/乳化剂体系中,其连续相由水相向油相(或从油相变为水相)的转变.在连续相转变区,体系的界面张力最低,因而分散相的尺寸最小.同理,可利用相反转技术直接将高分子树脂乳化为尺寸很小的水基微粒,即制备高分子树脂的水基分散体系.由于高分子树脂的粘弹性及相反转过程的复杂性,对高分子树脂的相反转乳化过程的机理研究较少.杨振忠[5]等通过调节高分子非离子型乳化剂浓度,可以有效地控制相反转完善程…     

THE EFFECT OF BLENDING SEQUENCE ON PHASE MORPHOLOGY OF NYLON 6/ABS/SMA BLENDS

The preparation process-dependent phase morphology of blends composed of nylon 6 and acrylonitrile-butadiene- styrene(ABS)over a composition range of 30-70 wt% using a styrene-maleic anhydride(SMA)copolymer as the compatibilizing agent with a constant content(5phr)was investigated.The results of the scanning electron microscope (SEM)observation revealed that compared with the binary blends of nylon 6 and ABS,the existence of SMA caused a composition shift of phase inversion to a higher weight fraction of...     

Synthesis of bilayer oleic acid-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their application in pH-responsive Pickering emulsions

Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles coated with oleic acid bilayer (a diameter about 12 nm) were synthesized. The structure and composition of the particles were analyzed by TEM, FTIR and TGA. The TGA experiments of the bilayer-coated particles show a distinct two-stage mass loss. Partition experiments show that the modified Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles are affected by aqueous dispersion pH and ion strength. Accordingly, the Pickering emulsions stabilized by modified Fe(3)O(4) particles are also sensitive to pH and ion strength. The phase inversion of the emulsions occurs when 1.0013.50. The phase inversion of emulsions also can be adjusted by the ion strength. In interfacial adsorption experiments, the hydrophobic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles form particle clusters, while the hydrophilic particles form uniform multilayers.     

Fabrication of macroporous foam and microspheres of polystyrene by Pickering emulsion polymerization

Poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (PS-co-MAA) particles were synthesized via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization and then used as particulate emulsifiers for preparation of Pickering emulsions. Our results showed that adjusting the solution pH can tune the wettability of PS-co-MAA particles to stabilize either water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions. Stable W/O emulsions were obtained with PS-co-MAA particles at low pH values due to their better affinity to the dispersed oil phase. In contrast, increasing the pH value significantly changed the stabilizing behavior of the PS-co-MAA particles, leading to the phase inversion and formation of stable O/W emulsions. We found that the oil/water ratio had a significant influence on pH value of the phase inversion. It decreased with decreasing the oil/water ratio, and no phase inversion occurred when the styrene volume fraction reduced to 10 %. Additionally, macroporous polystyrene (PS) foam and PS microspheres were obtained via polymerization of Pickering high internal phase emulsion (Pickering HIPE) and O/W Pickering emulsion, respectively.