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Direct characterization of phase behavior and compatibility in PET/HDPE polymer blends by confocal Raman mapping
Author(s) -
Huan Shuangyan,
Lin Weiqi,
Sato Harumi,
Yang Haifeng,
Jiang Jianhui,
Ozaki Yukihiro,
Wu Hailong,
Shen Guoli,
Yu Ruqin
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of raman spectroscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.748
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1097-4555
pISSN - 0377-0486
DOI - 10.1002/jrs.1636
Subject(s) - maleic anhydride , materials science , high density polyethylene , compatibility (geochemistry) , raman spectroscopy , polymer , confocal , polymer blend , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , composite material , polyethylene , copolymer , optics , physics , engineering
Morphology, chemical distribution and domain size in poly(ethylene terephthalate)/high‐density poly(ethylene) (PET/HDPE) polymer blends of various ratios prepared with and without maleic anhydride have been analyzed with confocal Raman mapping and SEM. The ratioimage method introduced here allows us to obtain enhanced chemical images with higher contrast and reliability. Compatibility numbers ( N c ) are calculated to evaluate the compatibility of the blends. The incompatible polymer blends show heterogeneous distribution with phase separation behavior, while the semicompatible blends prepared with maleic anhydride show much smaller subphase distributions with less distinct interphases. After the blending modification by maleic anhydride of only 0.5%, the viscosity status and dispersibility between PET and HDPE could be substantially improved, and the interactions that exist between the two phases have also been proved by ATR‐FT‐IR results. High‐spatial‐resolution confocal Raman mapping coupled with the ratioimage method provides a very attractive way to characterize the compatibility and phase behavior of the polymer blend through different blending methodologies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.