Particulate growth in phase-separated polymer blends

Particle coarsening was investigated in polymer blends containing a minor phase volume of 23% produced by compositional quenching. The scaling exponents for three binary blends (polystyrene/polybutadiene, polystyrene/polyisoprene, and polystyrene/S-B random copolymer) were in reasonable agreement with the expected value of 0.33. The scaling exponent for a ternary blend containing an amphiphile (polystyrene/polybutadiene/S-B block copolymer) was substantially lower at 0.14. The particle size distributions for all the blends were broader than the self-similar distribution expected for Ostwald ripening and became increasingly broad with time. These distributions fit a two parameter coalescence model in which the probability of coalescence is proportional to the particle diameter. However, Ostwald ripening appears to make some contribution, particularly at early times. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2191–2196, 1998     

Equilibrium structure of hydrogen-bonded polymer blends

Deuterium-labeled polystyrene modified by random distributions of the comonomer p-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexaflouro-2-hydroxyisopropyl)-α-methyl-styrene [DPS(OH)] has been blended with poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) and studied with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Miscibility is induced via hydrogen bonding between the DPS(OH) hydroxyl group and PBMA carbonyl groups. The data suggest that the nature of the miscible-phase structure in these blends differs from that of the usual homopolymer blends at small scattering angles, which we attribute to the short-range site specific nature of the hydrogen bond interaction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2745–2750, 1998     

环氧树脂在热塑性树脂改性中的应用

本文综述了国内外有关利用环氧树脂改性热塑性树脂共混体系研究的最新进展。着重阐述了环氧树脂在热塑性树脂之间的增容作用,如尼龙6(PA6)合金体系,改性聚苯乙烯塑料(ABS)合金体系,以及聚对苯二甲酸丙二醇酯(PTT)合金体系等。同时,介绍了利用环氧树脂的反应活性提高无机填料在聚合物中分散性研究的情况,如二氧化硅纳米粒子在聚醚砜(PES)中,以及滑石粉在聚丙烯(PP)中分散性的提高。最后,简介了环氧树脂改性热塑性树脂提高热塑性树脂物理机械性能方面的研究方向和成果并展望了环氧树脂在热塑性树脂改性研究中的前景。     

Modelling segmental dynamics in miscible polymer blends

The complex thermorheological behaviour observed in miscible polymer blends is modelled by combining two existing theoretical approaches: The Thermal Concentration Fluctuation model (A. Zetsche, E.W. Fischer, Acta Polymer. 1994 , 45, 168) and the Effective Concentration model (T.P. Lodge, T.C.B. McLeish, Macromolecules 2000 , 33, 5278), giving rise to a simple model with only one adjustable parameter. This model is then tested in the case of two model blends allowing to show its abilities and limitations to describe how the respective segmental dynamics of lowest or highest T_g component are affected by blending.     

具有特殊相互作用的聚合物共混物在选择性溶剂中的自组装行为

研究了磺化聚苯乙烯(SPS)/聚4-乙烯基吡啶(P4VP)在选择性溶剂甲醇中的自组装行为。用动态光散射的方法考察了P4VP/甲醇初始浓度以及Cu^2^+的加入对溶液中粒子尺寸的影响,并研究了Cu^2^+的加入对聚合物溶液粘度的影响。     

Reactive processing with difunctional oligomers to compatibilize polymer blends

The addition of telechelic reactive oligomers to a polymer blend as a compatibilization process is investigated. The results presented in this paper suggest that this process provides a mechanism by which blocky copolymeric compatibilizers can be formed during processing, as demonstrated by the changes in the mechanical and optical properties of the phase separated polymer blends. The results also show, however, that the presence of unreacted smaller oligomers can act as a plasticizer in the blend and can thus detrimentally affect the mechanical properties of the blend if any remains after processing. Careful control of the mixing conditions or post processing thermal annealing may be required to minimize this potentially deleterious effect. However, the data suggest that this optimization is possible.     

High temperature polymer blends: an overview of the literature

A review of work which has been performed on high temperature polymer blends is presented. The discussion is divided into miscible and immiscible blends. It is pointed out that one problem with miscible polymer blends is that of processing in the miscible state. In the case of immiscible blends, particularly ones containing liquid crystal polymers, the issue of adhesion of the two phases is discussed. Finally, the need for better theoretical models for predicting miscibility in polymer blends is highlighted.     

An analysis of the origin of coalescence suppression in compatibilized polymer blends

The course of the flow-induced coalescence and the effects of the Marangoni force and steric repulsion on the coalescence suppression in polymer blends containing a compatibilizer were analysed. The expression for coalescence probability of deformable droplets, reliably describing its dependence on the droplet size, was proposed. It was shown that a strong negative correlation exists between the Marangoni force and steric repulsion contributions and the decisive mechanism of the coalescence suppression cannot be determined from the dependence of coalescence on the shear rate. For prediction of the magnitude of the Marangoni force, the knowledge of the rate of copolymer diffusion along the interface is necessary. The influence of simultaneous collisions of three and more droplets and of droplet deformation in flow, which are not included in available theories, is discussed.     

Degradable polymer blends. I. Screening of miscible polymers

Blends of biodegradable polymers having properties distinct from the individual polymer components, and that are suitable for use as carriers of pharmaceutically active agents, were prepared from two or more polyanhydrides, polyesters, and mixtures of polyanhydrides and low molecular weight polyesters. The blends have different properties than the original polymers, providing a mean for altering the characteristics of the polymeric matrix without altering the chemical structure of the component polymers. Aliphatic, aromatic, and copolymers of polyanhydrides were miscible in each other and formed less crystalline compositions with a single melting point which was lower than the melting point of the starting polymers. The polyesters: poly(lactide-glycolide), poly(caprolactone), and poly(hydroxybutyric acid) presented some miscibility in each other. However, the polyanhydrides were immiscible with the polyesters resulting in a complete phase separation both in solution or in melt mixing. Only low molecular weight polyesters (in the range of 2000) of lactide and glycolide, mandelic acid, propylenefumarate, and caprolactone presented some miscibility with polyanhydrides. Similarly, poly(orthoester) and hydroxybutyric acid polymers formed a uniform mixture with the anhydride polymers which had the two melting points of the original polymers. Drug release from polymer blends composed of poly(hydroxybutyric acid) or low molecular weight poly(lactic acid) with poly(sebacic anhydride) (PSA) showed a constant release of drug for periods from 2 weeks to several months as a function of the PSA content in the blend. Increasing the content of PSA, a fast degrading polymer, increases the release rate from the blend. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

129Xe NMR as a probe of polymer blends

The miscibility of two-component polymer blends has been investigated using xenon-129 (¹²⁹Xe) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to probe the phase morphology. The chemical shift of ¹²⁹Xe dissolved in a given polymer is unique, thus heterogeneous blends with large domain sizes exhibit two ¹²⁹Xe NMR lines. When a single resonance is obtained, the data are consistent with miscibility, yielding an upper bound on the domain size. The temperature dependence of the relative solubilities and chemical shifts of ¹²⁹Xe dissolved in the pure components may allow a determination of the phase morphology in blends exhibiting a single resonance. The method is used to demonstrate that polychloroprene and 25% epoxidized 1,4-polyisoprene form a miscible blend.     

Study of bundle formation during crystallization in polymer blends

The development of texture which exists in polymer spherulites grown from single phase melts containing an appreciable amount of noncrystallizable material was investigated. This texture generally consists of lamellar bundles separated by amorphous regions, both of which are typically 0.1–1 μm thick. A space–time finite element model previously developed by us was used to simulate the growth of a group of polymer lamellae. The model determines the impurity concentration field in the melt surrounding the growing lamellae and tracks the growth of each lamella. Important variables are the initial melt concentration of noncrystallizable material, the mass diffusion coefficient of noncrystallizable species, lamellar thickness, long period, and the rate of molecular attachment at the growth front. Under certain conditions, bundles did indeed develop during the simulations. These results were used to predict bundle thicknesses. The predictions of bundle texture were compared to actual textures observed in blends of syndiotactic and atactic polystyrene. It was found both experimentally and numerically that bundle thickness was a strong function of crystallization temperature and a relatively weak function of both the initial composition of noncrystallizable species and the degree of crystallinity of the lamellar stack. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 873–888, 1998     

Fourier transform infrared study of segmental orientation in polymer blends

The effect of the macromolecular plasticizer poly(-methyl--n-propyl--propiolactone), PMPPL, on the orientation of poly(vinyl chloride), PVC, has been studied by FTIR spectroscopy. The addition of PMPPL to PVC does not change significantly the degree of orientation of PVC segments. In blends, PMPPL chains are more oriented when the matrix is richer in PVC but the PMPPL orientation function always remains smaller than that of PVC segments.     

A closed-loop behavior of ternary polymer blends composed of three miscible binaries

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was known to be miscible with poly (vinyl phenol) (PVPh). According to literature, poly (vinyl cinnamate) (PVCN) was also miscible with PVPh. The miscibility between PMMA and PVCN was corroborated on the basis of preliminary experiments. Is a ternary blend consisting of PMMA, PVPh and PVCN miscible in all the blend compositions? To answer this question, the miscibility of this ternary was examined in different blend compositions mainly based on calorimetry data in this investigation. The results using two different molecular weights of PVPh demonstrated an interestingly closed-loop behavior of immiscibility. The reason is likely because of the “Δχ effect”.     

Comprehensive study of positronium formation in polymer blends between polyethylene and ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer

The intensity I₃ of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) in a polymer blend system consisting of polyethylene (PE) and ethylene-vinylacetate (EVA, random copolymer with a vinylacetate content of about 14%) was measured as functions of EVA weight content (Φ=0–100%), electric field (E=0–60 kV/cm ), positron irradiation time (t=0–200 h) and temperature (T=100–300 K). It was found that the addition of small amounts of EVA to PE significantly alters the electric field, positron irradiation time and temperature dependence of I₃. Positron trapping on polar EVA is suggested to be responsible for the sensitive effects of EVA.     

Influence of conformational asymmetry on the surface enrichment of polymer blends II

We reexamine the influence of statistical segment length asymmetry on the surface segregation of homopolymer blends in a mean field thread model of polymer melts. By developing numerical self-consistent field solutions of the Edwards-Helfand equations, we demonstrate that the component with the smaller value of the parameter β² = a²/(6ν) (a is the statistical segment length and ν is the segment volume) is enriched at a neutral, impenetrable surface. Qualitatively, this finding is in agreement with our earlier analytical work and with experiment. However, in contrast to our earlier work, we find that the absolute magnitude of the segregation is a sensitive function of the chain lengths of the two species and of the compressibility of the system. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Application of the ISM EoS for polymer solutions and blends

A method for predicting an analytical equation of state for polymer mixtures and blends from surface tension and liquid state density at normal (ordinary) temperature (γ_n, ρ_n), as scaling constants, is presented. B₂(T) follows a promising corresponding-states principle. Calculation of (T) and b(T), the two other temperature-dependent constants of the equation of state, are made possible by scaling. As a result, γ_n and ρ_n are sufficient for determination of thermophysical properties of polymer mixtures and blends.

We applied the procedure to predict liquid density of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-200) + 1-octanol solutions and poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) + poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-200) blends at compressed state with temperature range from 298.15 to 338.15 K and pressures up to 40 MPa. In this work, the ISM EoS is extended to polymer mixtures and blends as well as pure case without proposing any mixing rule.     

Reactive blends of thermoplastics and latex particles

Monodisperse homogeneous and core–shell latex particles of various sized between 200 and 600 nm were synthesized by emulsion copolymerization. Some of the core–shell particles were functionalized with epoxy groups at their peripheries upon introduction of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) during the synthesis. The core consisted of crosslinked polybutylacrylate and the shell polymethylmethacrylate. Synthesis conditions at high and low temperatures were optimized to obtain coreshell particles with a well-defined morphology. The particles were characterized by quasi-elastic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The latex particles functionalized with GMA were then dispersed into a reactive matrix (styrene and maleic anhydride copolymer) using a batch mixer to obtain blends with well-defined and stabilized morphology. 4 Dimethylaminopyridine was used as a catalyst. The reaction between the epoxy groups at the particle surface and the maleic anhydride or diacid groups of the matrix was evaluated by torque and extraction techniques. A small amount of conversion generates sufficient amounts of grafted species at the matrix and particle interfaces to ensure a good interfacial adhesion.     

Compatibilizer-aided toughening in polymer blends consisting of brittle polymer particles dispersed in a ductile polymer matrix

Blending brittle polymer particles in a ductile polymer matrix is a new way to obtain toughened plastics. Although the nylon-6/poly(acrylonitrile-co-styrene) (SAN) system is a ductile/brittle combination, the blend does not result in a toughened plastic. We have investigated the effect of adding a small amount of a third component, poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA), to the nylon/SAN system. SMA significantly improves the tensile and impact strength of the blend. Morphological observations indicate a finer dispersion of the SAN particles when SMA is present in the blend. The improved dispersion is attributed to the formation of nylon-SMA graft copolymer, and infrared analysis supports this supposition. That is, a “compatibilizer” seems to be produced during melt mixing of the ternary system. The role that the compatibilizer plays in improving the stress transfer in the two-phase system and its potential to induce a brittle-ductile transition of the glassy SAN particles are considered to explain the toughening mechanism.     

Determination of pair interaction parameters for multicomponent polymer blends

Pair interaction parameters for multicomponent polymer blends were found to be determined by analyzing the sorption isotherms of common solvent.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2494–2496, November, 2004.