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Compatibility of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) blends. II. The influence of the AN content in SAN copolymer upon blend compatibility
Author(s) -
Chiu ShaoCheng,
Smith T. G.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1984.070290532
Subject(s) - copolymer , differential scanning calorimetry , acrylonitrile , materials science , glass transition , compatibility (geochemistry) , lower critical solution temperature , polymer blend , caprolactone , polycaprolactone , polymer chemistry , styrene , polymer , chemical engineering , composite material , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
The compatibility of polymer blends of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) containing various acrylonitrile (AN) contents was studied to evaluate the influences of copolymer composition and PCL concentration upon blend compatibility. Blend compatibility was characterized by the occurence of a single glass transition intermediate between the transitions of the respective pure components. The glass transitions were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical measurement (Rheovibron). It was found that SAN and PCL form compatible blends when the AN content of SAN ranges from 8% to 28% by weight. These blends are compatible in all proportions except for SAN 28 (AN wt % = 28) and PCL blends containing 70 or 85 wt % PCL. Blends of PCL and SAN were found to be incompatible when the AN content in SAN is greater than 30 wt % or less than 6 wt %. Lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, which can be attributed to phase separation, was found to occur when these blends were heated to elevated temperatures. The cloud point, or phase separation, was found to vary with AN content in SAN and the concentration of SAN in the blend.