Detection of compatibility of some rubber blends by DSC

The compatibility of some technically important polymer blends, namely BR/NR, NR/NBR and CR/NBR, has been investigated using the DSC method. In addition, dynamic mechanical measurements have been carried out for the NR/NBR blends over the frequency range of 10^–4 Hz –200 Hz and temperatures ranging from –70 to +70°C.The results obtained show that the three rubber blends are not compatible over the entire composition range as proven by the DSC and mechanical measurements. By analyzing the heat capacity increases at the glass transitions of the separate phases in the NR/BR blend, it was possible to suggest the presence of a limited compatibility at the boundaries of the two phases.By comparing this work with prior measurements, it was possible to conclude that the calorimetric method is a more efficient tool for the study of compatibility of polymer blends when compared to ultrasonic and viscosity methods.Furthermore, it was found that polymers that show compatibility when measured with an ultrasonic method could behave compatible, semicompatible or incompatible when analyzed by DSC. On the other hand, blends that show incompatibility by the ultrasonic method are always incompatible by the DSC method.Dedicated to Professor Wunderlich on the occasion of his 65th birthdayWe are grateful to Prof. Dr. W. Pechhold for stimulating and promoting this work and thanks due to colleagues at the Department of Applied Physics and Section of Calorimetry, Ulm University for their valuable help. Thanks are also extended to Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for supporting the residence of A. A. Yehia in Ulm, which gave the starting impulse to this work. A. Mansour. would like to thank the USAID for supplying the PL-DSC to the Chemistry Dept., Cairo University.