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Advance application of Raman spectroscopy for quantitative analysis of noncrystalline components in thin films of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(butadiene) blends
Author(s) -
Mamun Al
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.25501
Subject(s) - materials science , miscibility , differential scanning calorimetry , melting point depression , raman spectroscopy , polymer blend , caprolactone , crystallization , chemical engineering , amorphous solid , spherulite (polymer physics) , optical microscope , isothermal process , melting point , polymer chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , polymer , scanning electron microscope , copolymer , crystallography , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , optics , chemistry , physics , engineering
A quantitative analysis method for the distribution of noncrystalline poly(butadiene) component in poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(butadiene) (PCL/PB) binary blends have been analyzed by advance application of Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Thin films of different compositions of PCL/PB binary blends were prepared from solution and isothermally crystallized at a certain temperature. After calibration with real data, quantitative analyses by Raman spectroscopy revealed the amorphous PB are trapped inside the PCL crystals. Polarized optical microscopy and real time atomic force microscopy were used to collect data for the crystal morphology and crystal growth rate. For pure PCL crystals, a morphology of truncated lozenge shape was observed, independent of crystallization temperature and regardless of the blends compositions. For the pure PCL and their blends, almost unique crystal growth rate was found. The miscibility behaviors using DSC were drawn through melting point depression method. The Hoffman‐Weeks extrapolations of the blends were found to be linear and identical with those of the neat PCL. The interaction parameter for the blends indicating that the PCL and PB blends have no intermolecular interaction, confirming the blends are immiscible. Despite the immiscibility of the blend, the PCL crystals do not bend during the growth process and do not reduce the growth rate as they do for miscible blend systems.