Interpretation of micromechanical measurements on butyl acrylate,vinyl acetate based systems: Role of interfaces in “polymer-polymer composites”

Films were obtained by coalescence of different types of latex particles; the purpose of this work was to get informations on the geometric arrangement (so called “morphology”) of the different phases and on the role of interfaces. Such informations are difficult to get by direct investigations (weak contrast in Transmission Electron Microscopy, poor information provided by X-ray measurements on amorphous polymers …) the analysis of experimental data obtained in high resolution mechanical spectrometry appears powerful: it is possible, for instance, to estimate the profile gradient of composition at the interface. Comparison is made between the morphology of the different phases in some films and the correspondent structure of particles.