| Abstract: | Miscibility behavior of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) PHB]/poly(vinylidene chloride-co-acrylonitrile) P(VDC-AN)] blends have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. Each blend showed a single Tg, and a large melting point depression of PHB. All the blends containing more than 40% PHB showed linear spherulitic growth behavior and the growth rate decreased with P(VDC-AN) content. The interaction parameter χ12, obtained from melting point depression analysis, gave the value of ?0.267 for the PHB/P(VDC-AN) blends. All results presented in this article lead to the conclusion that PHB/P(VDC-AN) blends are completely miscible in all proportions from a thermodynamic viewpoint. The miscibility in these blends is ascribed to the specific molecular interaction involving the carbonyl groups of PHB. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2645–2652, 1997 |
