Morphology and glass transition behavior of polycarbonate–phenoxy system: Effects of trans-reactions in domain interface regions

Effects of trans reactions on the morphology, glass transition, and phase behavior in a classical blend system of a poly(hydroxyl ether bisphenol-A) (phenoxy) with bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical microscopy. Although two T_gs were observed in the as-prepared PC/phenoxy blends, an apparently single, but broadened, T_g was found in the blends after heating at high temperatures, typically 200–250°C for short times. The optical microscopy results indicated that same scales of heterogeneity did exist in post-heated PC/phenoxy blends as well as unheated blends. Explanations were provided. After heating-induced interchange reactions ( OH and carbonate), randomly linked polymer chains might form at the numerous interfaces of the mutually occluded/included micro-domains. The majority of the chains in the micro-domains are forced to relax in coordinated motion modes after heating, thus showing a single T_g. A mechanism of trans reactions in interfacial regions was briefly discussed in supplement to earlier reports in the literature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Poly(silmethylene)-based polymer blends. I. In situ polymerization of 1,3-disilacyclobutanes in silicon-based polymers

The in situ polymerization of 1,1,3,3-tetraphenyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane with or without a catalyst in flexible organo-silicon polymers was demonstrated to provide poly(silmethylene)-based polymer blends. An alternative route, which implies preparation of blends via synthesis of a flexible polymer in the presence of a rigid polymer, was also promising. The resulting polymer blends were characterized by DSC, dynamic mechanical analysis, and solvent extraction. No chemical interaction is observed between component polymers of blends prepared by the in situ bulk polymerization method while formation of block or graft copolymers comprising poly(diphenylsilmethylene) and flexible polymers is suggested when in situ copper-catalyzed polymerization was employed. A morphological difference between samples synthesized by the different methods was suggested by microscopic observation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Blends of bisphenol-A polycarbonate and acrylic polymers: II. PC/acrylic copolymers as a new route for compatibilization

An acrylic polymer containing acid and anhydride units, referred to as reactive polyglutarimide (RPGI), has been used to react with PC. The reaction has been previously determined as an acidolysis of the carbonate bond which breaks the PC chain in two parts. One of those two parts remains free while the other one is grafted on the acrylic backbone. We have found that the anhydride units could also react with the carbonate bonds. In this case the PC macromolecule would also be broken in two parts, which would, however, both be grafted on the acrylic backbone. The reaction has been performed in solution in order to keep good contact between the reacting units. The influence of temperature and concentration on the grafting ratio has been studied. The best experimental conditions were determined in order to obtain a grafted copolymer where the acrylic backbone only supports, on the average, one PC side chain through acid reaction or two PC chains through anhydride reaction. Indeed, these two types of reactions could not be isolated. The efficiency of this copolymer as emulsifier has been studied in solution cast blends as well as in melt mixed blends. The copolymer strongly affects the microstructure in solution cast blends where films containing 30 wt % of PC have become transparent. However, the dispersed phase size of solvent cast blends could be highly influenced by the casting conditions related to solvent trapping. In melt mixed samples, the copolymer also reduces significantly the dispersed phase size, but no transparent blends have been observed so far. These results were compared with those given in the literature describing the efficiency of a synthesized copolymer which has a more complicated structure. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 735–747, 1997     

Blends of bisphenol-A polycarbonate and acrylic polymers: III. Effect of imide concentration on compatibility

Imide units copolymerized with MMA units have been selected in order to improve compatibility between PC and acrylics through specific interaction or internal repulsion. Good dispersion of acrylic inside a PC matrix has been observed upon melt mixing, which can be partially explained by the good rheological agreement between these two polymers. Transmission electron microscopy has shown that the system remains phase separated from 5 to 95 wt % of PC. Phase diagrams for three different imide concentrations have been drawn. Results obtained by DSC (conventional and with enthalpy relaxation) are similar to those obtained by optical cloud point detection. The phase diagrams show the raise of the PC/PMMA demixtion curve (LCST type) when percentage of imide increases in the acrylic phase. Theoretical calculations on binary interaction energy density show a slight improvement of the interaction between acrylic and PC when imide percentage increases. Cloud point measurements on 50/50 PC/acrylic blends varying the imide concentration show that the improvement of compatibility deduced from the raise of the demixtion curve (LCST type) is more related to a kinetic effect (the high T_g of imidized samples is reducing macromolecule mobility) than specific interactions. The calculated favorable interactions are probably too weak to be detected with cloud point measurements. The microstructures obtained after crystallization of the PC phase under solvent vapors in phase separated PC/acrylics blends can also be explained by T_g effects. Moreover, solvent vapor exposure could be a powerful tool to determine the real thermodynamic behavior of the blends at room temperature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 749–761, 1997     

Miscibility of Polyoxymethylene Blends as Revealed by High-resolution Solid-state 13C-NMR Spectroscopy

The miscibility of polyvinylphenol (PVPh) or terpenephenol (TPh) with polyoxymethylene (POM) was examined by high-resolution solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It was found that the driving force for the mixing of POM and PVPh is the hydrogen-bonding interaction between the phenolic OH group of PVPh and the ether oxygen of POM, and that the mixing is preferentially induced in the noncrystalline phase. ¹H relaxation time experiments indicated that POM/PVPh blends were homogeneous on a scale of 20–30 nm but heterogeneous on a scale of 2–3 nm. On the other hand, Fourier transform infrared and cross-polarization/magic-angle-spinning ¹³C-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra revealed that POM and TPh are also mixed in the noncrystalline phase through the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction, while some fraction of POM is still crystallizable. Moreover, the domain size of the micro-phase separation was estimated to be about 1 nm by the direct ¹H spin-diffusion measurements, suggesting almost homogeneous mixing on a molecular level in the noncrystalline phase. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic mechanical and dielectric behavior of erucamide (13-cis-docosenamide), isotactic poly(propylene), and their blends

Blends of erucamide (13-cis-docosenamide) and isotactic poly(propylene) were analyzed by means of dynamic mechanical (at 3, 10, and 30 Hz) and dielectric (at 1, 6, and 20 kHz) techniques. The dependence of tan δ with temperature for each one of the blends has been fitted to Gaussian functions in order to deconvolute the overlapped relaxations. Three relaxations for i-PP, α_i-PP, β_i-PP, γ_i-PP, three for erucamide, α_ERU, β_ERU, and γ_ERU, and five for their blends have been observed and assigned. They do not vary appreciably with composition, suggesting that the components are incompatible either as globules in the matrix or in the amorphous regions of the spherulites, and/or in their surroundings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1473–1482, 1997     

Ternary fluoro-containing polyimide blends and fluoro-containing polyimide/polyester blends

Two ternary miscible fluoro-polyimide blends have been identified. They are 6FDA-3,3′-6F-diamine/6FDA-4,4′- F - diamine/BTDA - 4,4′ - 6FDA blend and 6FDA - 3,3′ - 6F - diamine/6FDA - 4,4′ - 6F - diamine/ODPA - PMDA - 4,4′-6F-diamine blend (6FDA is 2,2′-bis(3,4′-dicarboxy- phenyl)hexafluoro propane dianhydride, 6F-diamine is 2,2′-bis(3-aminophenyl) hexafluoro propane). Their miscibility probably arises from the fact that their diamine parts have hexafluoro isopropylidene groups, their dianhydride parts have similar bond angle, space, rigidity and length. Several 6FDA-polyimides and PCTG 5445 (glycol-modified polycyclohexanedimethanolterephthalate) form- ing miscible blends have also been discovered. These surprising results suggest that hexafluoro-isopropylidene-group containing polyimides are quite intermolecular active and the 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol component in PCTG 5445 may also offer unique miscibility capability. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectral,thermal, and electrical properties of poly(o- and m-toluidine)-polystyrene blends prepared by emulsion pathway

Conducting poly(o-toluidine) (POT) and poly(m-toluidine) (PMT) blends containing 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 % wt/wt of polystyrene (PSt) were prepared by employing a two-step emulsion pathway. The bands characteristic of both polystyrene and POT/PMT are present in the IR spectra of POT–PSt and PMT–PSt blends. The UV-visible spectra of POT–PSt and PMT–PSt blends exhibit two bands around 313 and 610 nm, confirming that some amount of POT/PMT base is present in the blends. The EPR parameters such as line width and spin concentration reveal the presence of POT/PMT salt in the respective blends. The TGA, DTA, and DSC results suggest a higher thermal stability for the POT and PMT blends than that for the respective salts. The conductivity values of POT(70)–PSt(30) and POT(90)–PSt(10) blends are almost the same (1.1 × 10⁻² and 1.3 × 10⁻² S cm⁻¹, respectively) and these values are very close to that of pure POT salt, suggesting that POT can be blended with up to 30% wt/wt of PSt to improve its mechanical properties without a significant drop in its conductivity. The conductivity values of PMT–PSt blends are lower than those of the corresponding POT–PSt blends by two to three orders of magnitude, indicating that POT is a better system than PMT to prepare blends by this method. The dielectric constant and tan δ values of the blends increase with the amount POT/PMT and are greater than that of polystyrene. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2291–2299, 1998     

Interface characterization in latex blend films by fluorescence energy transfer

Immiscible polymer blend films were formed by air drying aqueous dispersions containing mixtures of a high-T_g latex, poly(methyl methacrylate), and a film-forming low-T_g latex, poly(butyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate). Fluorescence energy transfer experiments were used to characterize the interfaces in these films, in which one component was labeled with a donor dye and the other with an acceptor. The quantum efficiency of energy transfer (Φ_ET) between the donors and acceptors is influenced by the interfacial contact area between the two polymer phases. As the amount of soft component in the blend is increased, Φ_ET approaches an asymptotic value, consistent with complete coverage of the hard polymer surface with soft polymer. This limiting extent of energy transfer is very sensitive to the total surface area in the film, with correspondingly more energy transfer at constant volume fraction for small hard particles. Some of the details of the energy transfer are revealed through a fluorescence lifetime distribution analysis. The presence of ionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) in the dispersion from which the latex blend film is prepared reduces the cross-boundary energy transfer by 30%, which implies that in these films the surfactant decreases the interfacial contact. After annealing the surfactant-free blends above 100°C, we observe an increase in energy transfer, consistent with a broader interface between the two polymers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1115–1128, 1998     

Observations of crystallization and melting in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends by hot-stage atomic-force microscopy

The binary blend of poly(ethylene oxide)/atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) is examined using hot-stage atomic-force microscopy (AFM) in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. It was found possible to follow in real time the melting process, which reveals itself to be nonuniform. This effect is ascribed to the presence of lamellae having different thicknesses. The crystallization process of poly(ethylene oxide) from the miscible melt is also followed in real time by AFM, affording detailed images of the impingement of adjacent spherulites and direct observation of lamellar growth and subsequent polymer solidification in the interlamellar space.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2643–2651, 1998