Premium
Reactive processing of polymer blends: Analysis of the change in morphological and interfacial parameters with processing
Author(s) -
Okamoto Masami,
Inoue Takashi
Publication year - 1993
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.760330308
Subject(s) - materials science , polymer , composite material , materials processing , polymer blend , process engineering , copolymer , engineering
The change in morphology and interface quantities have been analyzed for an immiscible polymer blend during reactive processing. A model polymer/polymer combination, hydroxy‐terminated poly(ε‐caprolactone)/liquid rubber with α, ω‐carboxy groups, was employed. The blend was subjected to light scattering measurements, ellipsometry, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Size reduction of the dispersed phase during processing was followed by a systematic decrease in the correlation distance ζ and an increase in the specific interfacial area Ssp, both by the Debye‐Bueche plot of light scattering profiles. Also observed was the time variation of the volume fraction of interface V λ estimated as a product of the Ssp and the interfacial thickness by ellipsometry. The changes in ζ, Ssp, and V λ with processing were accelerated when a coupling agent,γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS), was added. The amount of block copolymer formed in ‐ situ in the APS‐loaded system was estimated by GPC with RI and UV detectors. For the size reduction kinetics in both APS‐loaded and ‐unloaded systems, Rittinger's law was found to be applicable.