A study of phase separation of crystalline and miscible polymer blends. Poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)

The phase separation of a crystalline and miscible polymer blend, poly(ε-caprolactone) /poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (PCL/SAN), has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), using a SAN containing 28.3% of acrylonitrile units. Several phenomena can be associated with the occurrence of phase separation depending upon the composition of the mixture. Following annealing at high temperatures, below and above the phase separation temperature T_c, three cases can be distinguished. In Case I, there is no sign of crystallization during quenching and DSC scanning, but a melting peak is observed at T_c, and above. In Case II, there is no crystallization on quenching but it does occur during the DSC run; the shift of the crystallization peak can then be related to T_c. In Case III, there is crystallization on quenching, and additional crystallization during the DSC run; the change of area of the crystallization peak is indicative of T_c. From these observations, the phase diagram of the system was determined. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Complete miscibility of ternary aryl polyesters demonstrating a new criterion and horizon for miscibility characterization

A ternary miscible blend system comprising only crystallizable aryl polyesters [poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(trimethylene terephthalate), and poly(butylene terephthalate)] was characterized with the criteria of thermal analyses, microscopy, and X‐ray characterizations. The reported ternary miscibility (in the quenched amorphous state of blends of the three aryl polyesters) was truly physical and under the condition of no chemical transesterifications; this justified that transesterification was not a necessary condition for miscibility in polyester blends in this case. This study further proposed and tested a novel concept of a new criterion for miscibility characterization for polymer blends of only crystallizable polymers. A single composition‐dependent cold‐crystallization‐temperature (T_cc) peak in blends of only semicrystalline polymers was taken as an indication of an intimate mixing state of miscibility. The theoretical background for establishing the single composition‐dependent T_cc peak as a valid miscibility criterion for crystallizable polymer blends was examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2394–2404, 2003     

Morphology development and crystallization behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/phenoxy blend

The morphological development and crystallization behavior of a poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(hydroxyl ether of bisphenol A) (phenoxy) blend were studied with time‐resolved light scattering, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). During annealing at 280 °C, liquid–liquid phase separation via spinodal decomposition proceeded in the melt‐extruded specimen. After the formation of a domain structure, the blend slowly underwent phase homogenization by the interchange reactions between the two polymers. Specimens annealed for various times (t_s) at 280 °C were subjected to a temperature drop and the effects of liquid‐phase changes on crystallization were then investigated. The shifts in the position of the cold‐crystallization peaks indicated that the crystallization rate is associated with the composition change of the separated phases as well as the change of the sequence distribution in polymer chains during annealing. The morphological parameters at the lamellar level were determined by a correlation function analysis on the SAXS data. The crystal thickness (l_c) increased with t_s, whereas the amorphous layer thickness (l_a) showed little dependence on t_s. Observation of a constant l_a value revealed that a large number of noncrystallizable species formed by the interchange reactions between the two polymers were excluded from the lamellar stacks and resided in the interfibrillar regions, interspherulitic regions, or both. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 223–232, 2008     

Effect of compressed CO2 on crystallization and melting behavior of isotactic polypropylene

Compressed gases such as CO₂ above their critical temperatures provide a highly tunable technique that has been shown to induce changes in phase behavior, crystallization kinetics and morphology of the polymers. Gas induced plasticization of the polymer matrix has been studied in a large number of polymers such as polystyrene, and poly(ethylene terephathalate). The knowledge of polymer–gas interactions is fundamental to the study of phenomena such as solubility and diffusivity of gases in polymers, dilation of polymers and in the development of applications such as foams and barrier materials.In this paper, we describe the interactions of compressed CO₂ with isotactic polypropylene (PP). Crystallization of various PPs in presence of compressed CO₂ was evaluated using a high pressure differential scanning calorimeter (HPDSC). CO₂ plasticized the polymer matrix and decreased the crystallization temperature, T_c by ∼8 °C for PP at a pressure of 650 psi CO₂. The decrease as a function of pressure was −0.173 °C/bar and did not change with the molecular architecture of PP. Both crystallization kinetics and melting behavior are evaluated.Since solubility and diffusivity are important thermodynamic parameters that establish the intrinsic gas transport characteristics in a polymer, solubility of CO₂ in PP was measured using a high-pressure electrobalance and compared with cross-linked polyethylene. At 50 °C, solubility followed Henry’s law and at a pressure of 200 psi about 1% CO₂ dissolved in PP. Similar solubility was achieved in PE at a pressure of 160 psi. Higher solubility of CO₂ in PE is attributed to its lower crystallinity and lower T_g, than PP. Diffusion coefficients were calculated from the sorption kinetics using a Fickian transport model. Diffusivity was independent of pressure and PE showed higher diffusivity than PP. Preliminary foaming studies carried out using a batch process indicate that both PP and PE can be foamed from the solid state to form microcellular foams. Cell size and cell density were ∼10 μm and 10⁸ cells/cm³, respectively in PE. Differences in morphology between the foams for these polymers are attributed to the differences in diffusivity.     

THERMAL ANALYSIS OF POLYPROPYLENE-b-POLYETHYLENE DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS AND CORRESPONDING BLENDS

Difference in thermal behavior of presumed polypropylene-b-polyethylene block copolymers(PP-PE) and corresponding PP+PE blends was studied. Different views in the literature were unified in our observation that faster cooling rate yielded only one exothermal peak for the blends, while slower cooling rates revealed both PP and PE exothermal peaks. Further details on when a single or double exothermal peaks would appear are discussed. Melting and crystallization temperatures for both PP and PE in blends were found to be a few degrees higher than for PP and PE in block copolymers. Thus, thermal analysis can be used to identify PP-PE block copolymers. These phenomena and the lower △H_f-values of PP and PE in block copolymers than the △H_f-values of pure homo-PP and -PE (for PE even more so) are explained in terms of restricted block movement due to covalent bond between blocks and of crystallization processes in block copolymers. The presence of block structure in the PP-PE samples studied is inferred.     

Transition and relaxation processes of polyethylene,polypropylene, and polystyrene studied by positron annihilation

Transition and relaxation processes of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) were studied by the positron annihilation technique. From measurements of lifetime spectra of positrons as a function of temperature, the lifetime of ortho-positronium, τ₃, and its intensity, I₃, were found to increase above 260 K for PP. This fact was attributed to a cooperative motion of large segments of molecules above the glass transition temperature, T_g. For PE, above T_g (140 K), the value of τ₃ increased, but the temperature coefficient of I₃ was negative below 230 K. From this fact, for PE, the molecular motions that cause the glass transition were associated with a rearrangement of molecules by local motions such as kink motions. The discrepancy between the results for PE and PP was attributed to the presence of methyl groups in PP and the resultant suppression of the local motions. For PS (T_g = 340 K), the molecular motions were found to start above 260 K, but those were suppressed by an interphenyl correlation. Detailed annihilation characteristics of positrons in polymers were also discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1601–1609, 1997     

Miscible blends containing a crystallizable component: poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(ethyleneimine)

Blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAI) with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) were prepared by casting from a common solvent. All blends show a single, composition dependent glass transition temperature (T_g), indicating that the blends are miscible in the amorphous state and in the melt. The overall crystallization rate of PVAI in the blend decreases with increasing PEI content. The crystallinity index of PVAI in the blend does not decrease greatly with PEI content up to a composition of 70/30 PVAI/PEI, since the T_g of the crystallizable component PVAI is larger than that of the non-crystallizable component PEI. The T_g of the system PVAI/PEI decreases with increasing PEI content. The interaction parameter B of the two polymers in the melt was found to be −24 J/cm³.     

Probing Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of a Polyethylene Blend with Thermal Analysis

Summary: A series of polyethylene (PE) blends consisting of a high density polyethylene (HDPE) and a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with a butene-chain branch density of 77/1000 carbon was prepared at different concentrations. The LLDPE only crystallized below 50 °C, therefore, above 80 °C and below the melting temperature of HDPE, only HDPE crystallized in the PE blends. A specifically designed multi-step experimental procedure based on thermal analysis technique was utilized to monitor the liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of this set of PE blends. The main step was first to quench the system from the homogeneous temperatures and isothermally anneal them at a prescribed temperature higher than the equilibrium melting temperature of the HDPE for the purpose of allowing the phase morphology to develop from LLPS, and then cool the system at constant rate to record the non-isothermal crystallization. The crystallization peak temperature (T_p) was used to character the crystallization rate. Because LLPS results in HDPE-rich domains where the crystallization rates are increased, this technique provided an experimental measure to identify the binodal curve of the LLPS for the system indicated by increased T_p. The result showed that the LLPS boundary of the blend measured by this method was close to that obtained by phase contrast optical microscopy method. Therefore, we considered that the thermal analysis technique based on the non-isothermal crystallization could be effective to investigate the LLPS of PE blends.     

Study of Very Low Temperature Crystallization Process in Ethylene/α-Olefin Copolymers

Summary: The crystallization behavior of Ziegler-Natta (ZN) and single site (SS) based ethylene/1-butene and ethylene/1-hexene copolymers and SS copolymer fractionated by composition and molar mass (MM) has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It was observed that in addition to the high temperature crystallization peak (HTCP), and for ZN copolymers in addition also to low temperature crystallization peak (LTCP), a very-low temperature crystallization peak (VLTCP) is present at temperatures in between 60–75 °C. Peak temperature of VLTCP, T_VLTCP, decreases with increasing comonomer content (C_comon) at fixed MM. If C_comon is kept approximately constant, T_VLTCP increases with increasing MM. It turns out that T_VLTCP does not depend on the type of catalyst used. The degree of crystallinity calculated from the VLTCP is independent of the chemical nature of the comonomers present, but slightly changes with C_comon. It also steeply increases with MM and levels off at MM around 50 kg/mol. It was found that the crystallinity as related to the area of the VLTCP is catalyst type dependent, and is higher for the SS catalyst used compared to the ZN catalyst.     

Blends of a novel high-temperature poly(oxy-1,4′-diphenyleneoxy-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl-1,4-phenylene) with poly(ether imide): structure, interaction, and miscibility

 Polymer miscibility has been discovered in a blend system comprising poly(ether imide) (PEI) and a new poly(ether diphenyl ether ketone) (PEDEK). The miscibility of the PEDEK/PEI polymer system (quenched from the molten state) was investigated in this study using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform (FT-IR) spectroscopy. A composition-dependent single glass-transition temperature (T _g) in the PEDEK/PEI blends over a full composition range was observed; the sharp transition width and the T _g–composition relationship both suggest that the scale of mixing is fine and uniform. Evidence based on observation of the cold-crystallization peak and suppression of the blend crystallinity and melting peak also indicated intimate intermolecular mixing. The FT-IR result yielded further evidence that the physical interactions leading to miscibility were weak, with no apparent specific interactions between the constituent polymers. Relationships between structures and interactions responsible for the miscibility in PEI and several ether-ketone-type polymers are briefly discussed. Received: 8 July 1999 Accepted in revised form: 21 October 1999     

Thermodynamic analysis of the phase separation during the polymerization of a thermoset system into a thermoplastic matrix. II. Prediction of the phase composition and the volume fraction of the dispersed phase

A thermodynamic simulation of the phase‐separation process of an off‐critical blend, based on a thermoplastic matrix with a reactive epoxy system undergoing polycondensation at a constant temperature, was performed. The model considered the composition dependence of the interaction parameter, χ(T,Φ₂) (where T is the temperature and Φ₂ is the volume fraction of polystyrene), along with the polydispersity of both polymers. For every level of conversion, the simulation provided the amount, composition, stoichiometric ratio, and conversion of each phase present. The accuracy of the model was proved by the good agreement between the experimental and predicted glass‐transition temperatures and heat capacity changes at the glass‐transition temperatures for both phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1361–1368, 2004     

Thermodynamic analysis of the phase separation during the polymerization of a thermoset system into a thermoplastic matrix. I. Effect of the composition on the cloud‐point curves

The cloud‐point curves of polystyrene (PS) mixed with reactive epoxy monomers based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with stoichiometric amounts of 4,4′‐methylenebis(2,6‐diethylaniline) were experimentally studied. A thermodynamic analysis of the phase‐separation process in these epoxy‐modified polymers was performed that considered the composition dependence of the interaction parameter, χ(T,Φ₂) (where T is the temperature and Φ₂ is the volume fraction of polystyrene), and the polydispersity of both polymers. In this analysis, χ(T,Φ₂) was considered the product of two functions: one depending on the temperature [D(T)] and the other depending on the composition [B(Φ₂)]. For mixtures without a reaction, the cloud‐point curves showed upper critical solution temperature behavior, and the dependence of χ(T,Φ₂) on the composition was determined from the threshold point, that is, the maximum cloud‐point temperature. During the isothermal reactions of mixtures with different initial PS concentrations, the dependence of χ(T,Φ₂) on the composition was determined under the assumption that, at each conversion level, the D(T) contribution to the χ(T,Φ₂) value had to be constant independently of the composition. For these mixtures, it was demonstrated that the changes in the chemical structure produced by the epoxy–amine reaction reduced χ(T,Φ₂). This effect was more important at lower volume fractions of PS. Nevertheless, the decrease in the absolute value of the entropic contribution to the free energy of mixing was the principal driving force behind the phase‐separation process. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1351–1360, 2004     

Nonisothermal crystallization behavior of polypropylene-clay nanocomposites

The influence of two concentrations of clay nanoparticles on the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of the intercalated polypropylene-clay nanocomposites is investigated here. It is observed that the crystallization peak temperature (T_p) of PP-clay nanocomposites is marginally higher than neat PP at various cooling rates. Furthermore, the half-time for crystallization (t_0.5) decreased with increase in clay content, implying the nucleating role of clay nanoparticles. The nonisothermal crystallization data is analyzed using Avrami, Ozawa and Mo and coworkers methods. The validity of kinetic models on the nonisothermal crystallization process of PP-clay nanocomposites is discussed. The approach developed by Mo and coworkers successfully describes the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PP and PP-clay nanocomposites. The activation energy for nonisothermal crystallization of pure PP and PP-clay nanocomposites based on Kissinger method is evaluated.     

Isothermal crystallization behavior of exfoliated‐PP/IMMT nanocomposites via in situ polymerization

Highly exfoliated isotactic‐polypropylene/alkyl‐imidazolium modified montmorillonite (PP/IMMT) nanocomposites have been prepared via in situ intercalative polymerization. TEM and XRD results indicated that the obtained composites were highly exfoliated PP/IMMT nanocomposites and the average thickness of IMMT in PP matrix was less than 10 nm, and the distance between adjacent IMMT particles was in the range of 20–200 nm. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of highly exfoliated PP/IMMT nanocomposites were investigated by using differential scanning calorimeter(DSC) and polarized optical microscope (POM). The crystallization half‐time t_1/2, crystallization peak time t_max, and the Avrami crystallization rate constant K_n showed that the nanosilicate layers accelerate the overall crystallization rate greatly due to the nucleation effect, and the crystallization rate was increased with the increase in MMT content. Meanwhile, the crystallinity of PP in nanocomposites decreased with the increase in clay content which indicated the PP chains were confined by the nanosilicate layers during the crystallization process. Although the well‐dispersed silicate layers did not have much influence on spherulites growth rate, the nucleation rate and the nuclei density increased significantly. Accordingly, the spherulite size decreased with the increase in MMT content. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2215–2225, 2009     

Miscibility in crystalline/amorphous blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/DGEBA

A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study of miscibility in blends of the semicrystalline polyester poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and amorphous monomer epoxy DGEBA (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A) was performed. Evidence of the miscibility of PHB/DGEBA in the molten state was found from a DSC study of the dependence of glass transition temperature (T_g) as a function of the blend composition and isothermal crystallization, analyzing the melting point (T_m) as a function of blend composition. A negative value of Flory–Huggins interaction parameter χ_PD was obtained. Furthermore, the lamellar crystallinity in the blend was studied by SAXS as a function of the PHB content. Evidence of the segregation of the amorphous material out of the lamellar structure was obtained. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2013     

Multiple melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate). II. Thermal analysis of isothermal crystallization and melting process

The multiple melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Three different PBSu resins, with molecular weights (MWs) of 1.1 × 10⁵, 1.8 × 10⁵, and 2.5 × 10⁵, were isothermally crystallized at various crystallization temperatures (T_c) ranging from 70 to 97.5 °C. The T_c dependence of crystallization half‐time (τ) was obtained. DSC melting curves for the isothermally crystallized samples were obtained at a heating rate of 10 K min⁻¹. Three endothermic peaks, an annealing peak, a low‐temperature peak L, and a high‐temperature peak H, and an exothermic peak located between peaks L and H clearly appeared in the DSC curve. In addition, an endothermic small peak S appeared at a lower temperature of peak H. Peak L increased with increasing T_c, whereas peak H decreased. The T_c dependence of the peak melting temperatures [T_m(L) and T_m(H)], recrystallization temperature (T_re), and heat of fusion (ΔH) was obtained. Their fitting curves were obtained as functions of T_c. T_m(L), T_re, and ΔH increased almost linearly with T_c, whereas T_m(H) was almost constant. The maximum rate of recrystallization occurred immediately after the melting. The mechanism of the multiple melting behavior is explained by the melt‐recrystallization model. The high MW samples showed similar T_c dependence of τ, and τ for the lowest MW sample was longer than that for the others. Peak L increased with MW, whereas peak H decreased. In spite of the difference of MW, T_m(L), T_m(H), and T_re almost coincided with each other at the same T_c. The ΔH values, that is crystallinity, for the highest MW sample were smaller than those for the other samples at the same T_c. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2039–2047, 2005     

Multiple melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate). I. Thermal analysis of melt‐crystallized samples

The multiple melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSu) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Three different PBSu resins, with molecular weights of 1.1 × 10⁵, 1.8 × 10⁵, and 2.5 × 10⁵, were cooled from the melt (150 °C) at various cooling rates (CRs) ranging from 0.2 to 50 K min^?1. The peak crystallization temperature (T_c) of the DSC curve in the cooling process decreased almost linearly with the logarithm of the CR. DSC melting curves for the melt‐crystallized samples were obtained at 10 K min^?1. Double endothermic peaks, a high‐temperature peak H and a low‐temperature peak L, and an exothermic peak located between them appeared. Peak L decreased with increasing CR, whereas peak H increased. An endothermic shoulder peak appeared at the lower temperature of peak H. The CR dependence of the peak melting temperatures [T_m(L) and T_m(H)], recrystallization temperature (T_re), and heat of fusion (ΔH) was obtained. Their fitting curves were obtained as functions of log(CR). T_m(L), T_re, and ΔH decreased almost linearly with log(CR), whereas T_m(H) was almost constant. Peak H decreased with the molecular weight, whereas peak L increased. It was suggested that the rate of the recrystallization decreased with the molecular weight. T_m(L), T_m(H), T_re, and T_c for the lowest molecular weight sample were lower than those for the others. In contrast, ΔH for the highest molecular weight sample was lower than that for the others. If the molecular weight dependence of the melting temperature for PBSu is similar to that for polyethylene, the results for the molecular weight dependence of PBSu can be explained. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2411–2420, 2002     

A calorimetric study of normal high density and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene blends

The melting and the crystallization of blends of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and polyethylene high density with normal molecular weight (NMWPE) are investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Mixing the components at a temperature below the flow temperature of UHMWPE (215 °C) results in segregated melting and crystallization. The segregated melting and crystallization temperatures of both components do not depend on composition of the blend. The extreme enthalpy dependence on blend composition is explained in terms of mutual influence exhibited by the components with respect to each other. It is due to the inner stresses in nonflowing UHMWPE characterized with a lot of entangled tie molecules. Mixing the components above the flow temperature of UHMWPE results in only one peak of melting and crystallization respectively. Complete mixing and probably co-crystallization between the components takes place on mixing NMWPE with flowing UHMWPE.     

Investigations of the equilibrium melting temperature in PBT and PC/PBT blends

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) and its blends with bisphenol-A polycarbonate was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry. The aim of this work was to determine the equilibrium melting temperature and its dependence on the blend composition using the Hoffman-Weeks plots. It is shown that the critical analysis of various influences on the melting peak is necessary for the reorganization processes and crystallized content of blends. The experimental conditions and the corrections of measured temperatures were derived and discussed. It was found that the use of the extrapolated onset temperature T_m,o of the melting peak is more efficient than the maximum temperature T_m for the Hoffman-Weeks plots. The equilibrium values of pure PBT are determined to be T^o_m,o = 501 K and T^o_m = 506 K. The equilibrium temperatures of the blends do not show a depression with increasing PC content. Using the Nishi-Wang relation, the results can be qualitatively interpreted with a polymer-polymer interaction coefficient χ ≥ 0 between both components. A weak increase in the equilibrium temperature with increasing PC content was observed. A hypothesis to explain this is based on the possibility of a changed population of the different spherulites with various melting temperatures in dependence on PC content. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of poly(butylene succinate) crystals on spherulitic growth of poly(ethylene oxide) in binary blends of the two substances

The effects of the lamellar growth direction, extinction rings, and spherulitic boundaries of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) on the spherulitic growth of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were investigated in miscible blends of the two crystalline polymers. In the crystallization process from a homogeneous melt, PBSU first developed volume‐filling spherulites, and then PEO spherulites nucleated and grew inside the PBSU spherulites. The lamellar growth direction of PEO was identical with that of PBSU even when the PBSU content was about 5 wt %. PEO, which intrinsically does not exhibit banded spherulites, showed apparent extinction rings inside the banded spherulites of PBSU. The growth rate of a PEO spherulite, G_PEO, was influenced not only by the blend composition and the crystallization temperature of PEO, but also by the growth direction with respect to PBSU lamellae, the boundaries of PBSU spherulites, and the crystallization temperature of PBSU, T_PBSU. The value of G_PEO first increased with decreasing T_PBSU when a PEO spherulite grew inside a single PBSU spherulite. Then, G_PEO decreased when T_PBSU was further decreased and a PEO spherulite grew through many tiny PBSU spherulites. This behavior was discussed based on the aforementioned factors affecting G_PEO. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 539–547, 2009