Premium
Formation of co‐continuous PLLA / PC blends with significantly improved physical properties by reactive comb polymers
Author(s) -
Wenyong Dong,
Xu Wang,
Yongjin Li
Publication year - 2018
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.46047
Subject(s) - materials science , polymer blend , polycarbonate , polymer , ultimate tensile strength , thermal stability , composite material , toughness , scanning electron microscope , microstructure , lamellar structure , compatibilization , heat deflection temperature , phase (matter) , nanocomposite , polymer chemistry , copolymer , chemical engineering , izod impact strength test , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
A kind of reactive comb (RC) polymer, which is constituted by poly(methyl methacrylate) backbone and side chains and a few epoxide groups that distribute randomly along the backbone, has been applied as compatibilizers for the thermodynamically immiscible poly( l ‐lactide) (PLLA)/polycarbonate (PC) blend (50/50, wt/wt). Phase morphology and physical properties of the compatibilized PLLA/PC blends are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and tensile tests. It has been found that the morphologies of the PLLA/PC blends are significantly ameliorated with the addition of RC polymers. A type of PLLA/PC blend with stable co‐continuous morphology has been achieved by the incorporation of more than 3 wt % of RC polymers. The mechanical tests showed that the co‐continuous PLLA/PC blends have an excellent stiffness‐toughness balance with high modulus and significantly improved ductility. Especially, the elongation at break of the PLLA/PC blend compatibilized by 10 wt % of RC polymers is 10 times higher than that of neat PLLA, in which the blend exhibits a cocontinuous lamellar microstructure. Furthermore, the PLLA/PC blends with cocontinuous morphology exhibit dramatically improved thermal stability as compared to neat PLLA when the temperature is over the T g of the PLLA phase. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135 , 46047.