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Three‐Dimensional Structure of Olefinic Thermoplastic Elastomer Blends Using Electron Tomography
Author(s) -
Sengupta Pratip,
Noordermeer Jacques W. M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.200400589
Subject(s) - thermoplastic elastomer , materials science , vulcanization , thermoplastic , composite material , polystyrene , elastomer , ethylene propylene rubber , polymer blend , natural rubber , phase (matter) , copolymer , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry
Summary: The present communication reports the first use of electron tomography in reconstructing the three‐dimensional morphology in thermoplastic elastomer blends. The blends investigated were dynamically vulcanized blends of ethylene‐propylene‐diene (EPDM) rubber/poly(propylene)/oil and polystyrene‐ block ‐(ethylene‐ co ‐butylene)‐ block ‐polystyrene (SEBS)/poly(propylene)/oil. An easy identification of blend morphology could be carried out at blend compositions, where conventional transmission electron microscopic imaging gives misleading information. This technique gives a higher resolution than any other microscopic technique, and is applicable to blends with dispersed as well as co‐continuous morphologies.Example of a tomographic model of partially co‐continuous SEBS phases in a SEBS/PP/oil thermoplastic blend. Only the contours of the SEBS phase are shown.