Interdiffusion and adhesion at the inteface of a polystyrene-poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) blend below the glass transition temperature

Experiments on adhesion between the film surfaces of a polystyrene (PS)-poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) blend were carried out below the glass transition temperature of the bulk (T _g ), at T=T _g −13 and T=T _g −23°C. The contact time varied from 2 to 1440 min. The strength at the interface was then measured at room temperature. The strength at the blend-blend interface was calculated using an additive diffusion model which takes into account the strength at homopolymer-homopolymer interfaces (PS-PS, PS-PPO, and PPO-PPO), surface concentration of components, and its variation with depth. A fair agreement between the calculated and measured strength was found. The results of the study support the concept of decreasing glass transition temperature near the surface of polymer glasses as compared with T _g of the bulk. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 661–670, September–October, 1999.