Premium
Flow visualization of the influence of compatibilizing agents on the mixing of elastomer blends and the effect on phase morphology
Author(s) -
Setua Dipak K.,
White James L.
Publication year - 1991
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.760312408
Subject(s) - materials science , acrylonitrile , composite material , polyethylene , elastomer , polybutadiene , phase (matter) , scanning electron microscope , morphology (biology) , nitrile rubber , mixing (physics) , copolymer , chemical engineering , polymer , natural rubber , organic chemistry , chemistry , biology , engineering , genetics , physics , quantum mechanics
The effect of several different potential compatibilizing agents on the rate of mixing and phase morphologies of immiscible blends of ethylene propylene (EPM) and acrylonitrile‐butadiene (NBR) copolymers of varying nitrile content is described. Flow visualization investigations using an internal mixer with glass windows have been used to show that these agents increase the rate of homogenization of EPM‐NBR blends. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study on the morphology of the EPM‐NBR blends shows that the choice of a suitable compatibilizing agent results in a final dispersion of NBR particles inside the EPM phase with an average size even as low as 0.5 to 1 μm. Chlorinated polyethylene (CM) has been found to be the most effective in increasing mixing rate and reducing the scales of morphology. However, for NBRs with low acrylonitrile concentration, chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM), polychloroprene (CR), hydrogenated nitrile (HNBR), arid polybutadiene (BR) were also found to act as suitable compatibilizing agents.