Co‐(POSS#‐styrene) nanocomposites reduced the glass‐transition temperature,rubbery modulus,and melt viscosity of entangled polystyrene

The addition of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane‐styrene copolymers, co(POSS#‐sty), to entangled polystyrene (PS) reduced (1) the glass‐transition temperature, T_g,blend, (2) the rubbery modulus, and (3) the melt viscosity. POSS#‐sty copolymers with # = 15, 25, and 45 wt% POSS were blended with PS. The blends were miscible and T_g,blend decreased with POSS#‐sty content. Strikingly, POSS#‐sty copolymers also reduced the melt viscosity, up to an order of magnitude reduction. The reductions of T_g,blend and melt viscosity were driven by the type of POSS#‐sty copolymer, POSS45‐sty producing the largest decrease of T_g,blend. Linear viscoelasticity and the time–temperature superposition (TTS) principle (using T_ref = T_g + 50 K to ensure iso‐frictional conditions) revealed that POSS#‐sty induced up to an order of magnitude reduction of the rubbery modulus G_e. The increase of free volume f_g promoted by POSS#‐sty induced the reduction of T_g,blend and G_e, as revealed by TTS analysis. The increase of free volume promoted by POSS#‐sty induced chain intercalation (TEM showed that POSS domains were smaller than the molecular mesh) and these are key factors for the chain disentanglement with the consequent rubbery modulus and melt viscosity reductions. The use of low‐molecular weight polystyrene alone will not produce increase of free volume and tube dilation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:2377–2386, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation and characterization of weather resistant silicone/acrylic resin coatings

Preparation and characterization of weather resistant silicone/acrylic resin coatings were conducted. In order to prepare these coatings, a silicone/acrylic resin (KLD) was first prepared by an addition polymerization reaction of monomers, including n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS). In the preparation of the silicone/acrylic resin, T_g of the acrylic copolymer was fixed at 40°C and the contents of MPTS were varied to be 10, 20, and 30 wt%. The weather resistant silicone/acrylic resin coatings were then prepared by blending the synthesized silicone/acrylic resin and TiO₂. The viscosity of the synthesized resin decreased with the content of MPTS, whereas the thermal stability at high temperature increased. The prepared coatings exhibited excellent adhesion to various substrates, and various physical properties of the coatings were satisfactory. The weatherability of the coatings was tested three ways: outdoor exposure test, Weather-Ometer (WOM), and QUV accelerated weatherability tester (QUV). The gloss retention, yellowness index difference, color difference, and lightness index difference were improved at high MPTS concentration. The coatings containing 30 wt% MPTS have especially good weather properties. Dept. of Chem. Eng., Yongin 449-728, Korea. Ansan 425-110, Korea.     

Effect of addition of nanosized UV absorbers on the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of an exterior waterborne stain for wood

This study describes the effects of the addition of inorganic nanosized UV absorbers on physico-mechanical and thermal properties of an exterior commercial acrylic-based waterborne stain for wood. Electronic microscopy and water vapor (WV) permeability measurements were performed to characterize the free films of the acrylic stain and resulting nanocomposite coatings. An accelerated weathering method was used to evaluate aging behavior of the coatings on wood through appearance, T_g, abrasion resistance, adhesion strength, hardness and Young's modulus changes. In addition to improving the protection against UV, the doped TiO₂ and silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles in powder form have improved the abrasion resistance and barrier effect against water vapor diffusion of the acrylic stain. For most of nanocomposite coatings, the addition of ZnO hydrophilic nanoparticles in predispersed form has resulted in a decrease in WV permeability, while the adhesion strength and abrasion resistance of those coatings were negatively affected. The addition of ZnO nanoparticles has decreased the T_g of the acrylic stain. Finally, the accelerated weathering has induced an increase in T_g, hardness, Young's modulus (stiffness) and an increase in apparent adhesion strength and abrasion resistance of the coatings. The T_g values of the aged nanocomposite coatings were lower than that of unmodified acrylic stain.     

Electrically conducting polypropylene/polyaniline‐grafted‐short glass fiber composites: Microstructure and dynamic mechanical analysis

The thermal properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) reinforced with polyaniline‐grafted‐short glass fibers (PAn‐g‐SGF) at 10, 20, and 30 wt% concentration and iPP blended with 5 wt% PP‐grafted‐maleic anhydride (PP‐gMA) and 30 wt% of PAn‐g‐SGF were investigated. iPP crystallizes into a spherulitic morphology, the microfiller promoted larger spherulite size and higher dynamic modulus, but the overall degree of crystallinity decreased as the concentration of PAn‐g‐SGF increased. The melting temperature, T_m, was not influenced by the microfiller. However, the crystallization temperature, T_c, as determined by DMA, first decreased reaching a minimum at ca. 20 wt%, and then increased, in contrast with T_c determined by DSC, it increased as concentration increased. The initial reduction in T_c observed by DMA seems to be associated with the crystallites growing from the microfiller into the matrix, the overall molecular dynamics then being less affected. On the other hand, increase in T_c above 20 wt% concentration suggests that the percolation threshold could be responsible for these results. Addition of the maleic anhydride copolymer produced higher shear modulus, transition temperatures, and activation energy, suggesting higher interaction between microfiller and polymer matrix. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of addition of nanosized UV absorbers on the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of an exterior waterborne stain for wood

This study describes the effects of the addition of inorganic nanosized UV absorbers on physico-mechanical and thermal properties of an exterior commercial acrylic-based waterborne stain for wood. Electronic microscopy and water vapor (WV) permeability measurements were performed to characterize the free films of the acrylic stain and resulting nanocomposite coatings. An accelerated weathering method was used to evaluate aging behavior of the coatings on wood through appearance, T_g, abrasion resistance, adhesion strength, hardness and Young's modulus changes. In addition to improving the protection against UV, the doped TiO₂ and silica-coated ZnO nanoparticles in powder form have improved the abrasion resistance and barrier effect against water vapor diffusion of the acrylic stain. For most of nanocomposite coatings, the addition of ZnO hydrophilic nanoparticles in predispersed form has resulted in a decrease in WV permeability, while the adhesion strength and abrasion resistance of those coatings were negatively affected. The addition of ZnO nanoparticles has decreased the T_g of the acrylic stain. Finally, the accelerated weathering has induced an increase in T_g, hardness, Young's modulus (stiffness) and an increase in apparent adhesion strength and abrasion resistance of the coatings. The T_g values of the aged nanocomposite coatings were lower than that of unmodified acrylic stain.     

Comparison of Titanium‐Oxo‐Clusters Derived from Sol‐Gel Precursors with TiO2 Nanoparticles in Drying Oil Based Ceramer Coatings

Hybrid coatings (inorganic‐organic) were prepared using a blown and epoxidized soybean oil as the organic matrix. Both TiO₂ particles and titanium sol‐gel precursors (Titanium tetra‐i‐propoxide, TIP; titanium (di‐i‐propoxide) bis(acetylactonate), TIA) were incorporated into the coating. Three sizes of TiO₂ particles ranging from 32 nm to 500 nm were used for comparison with the metal‐oxo‐clusters. General mechanical coating properties, tensile properties, and viscoelastic properties of the sol‐gel (ceramer) system were evaluated for the coatings, and the sol‐gel derived metal‐oxo‐clusters were found to have higher tensile modulus, storage modulus (E ′), and T_g compared with the TiO₂ particles.     

Mechanical properties of sol–gel prepared nanocomposite coatings in the presence of titania and alumina-derived nanoparticles

Hybrid nanocomposite coatings were prepared by sol–gel method using silica, titania and alumina nanoparticles derived from their alkoxides precursors; in the presence of 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and bisphenol A (BPA) on 1050 aluminium alloy substrate. The effect of type and ratio of nanoparticles on mechanical behaviour of the coatings were investigated by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA) and nanoindentation experiments. DMA results demonstrated that the values of the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the temperature at maximum tan (δ), (T_t) as well as the storage modulus of the hybrid samples depend mainly on the silane content and titania to alumina molar ratio of nanoparticles in the coating composition. In addition, nanoindentaion experiments were performed to study the mechanical properties such as hardness, elastic modulus and E/H ratio for the nanocomposite hybrid coatings. Nanoindentation results indicate that the homogenous reinforced structure was formed in the surface of nanocomposite coating with incorporation of titania and alumina-derived nanoparticles. The incorporation of TiO₂ in comparison with AlOOH nanoparticles in the GPTMS-based coatings showed an improving effect on E/H ratio.     

In situ polymerization of titanium isopropoxide in polycaprolactone: Properties and characterization of the hybrid nanocomposites

In this study, tetra isopropyl ortho titanate (TTIP) and polycaprolactone (PCL) were chosen as the ceramic precursor and the continuous phase, respectively, for the preparation of novel nanocomposites by using an in situ sol‐gel process. In addition, acrylic acid grafted polycaprolactone (PCL‐g‐AA) was investigated as an alternative to PCL. The hybrids (PCL/TiO₂ and PCL‐g‐AA/TiO₂) were characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and Instron mechanical testing. It was found that the carboxylic acid groups of acrylic acid acted as coordination sites for the titania phase to form chemical bonds, thus improving the properties of the acrylic acid grafted composite compared with its acrylic‐acid‐free counterpart. The TiO₂ content also determined the strength of interfacial bonding between the polymer chains and the ceramic phase, as shown by changes in glass transition temperature (T_g) with TiO₂ content. The maximum values of tensile strength and T_g were obtained with the PCL‐g‐AA/TiO₂ composite at 10 wt % TiO₂. At TiO₂ contents above this, excess particles led to segregation between the organic and inorganic phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1749–1757, 2004     

Viscoelastic properties and coating performance of water-soluble acrylic copolymers crosslinked with melamine resin

Acrylic copolymers with different amounts of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups for obtaining practical performance of melamine-cured acrylic coatings was investigated. Property testing results indicated that glass transition temperature (T_g) and shear modulus increased, and molecular weight between crosslinks (M_c) decreased with the increase of hydroxyl and carboxyl number in the acrylic copolymers. The degree of crosslinks influenced the resistance to solvent and chemicals at a lower baking temperature. Compared with acrylic acid, itaconic acid as a carboxyl monomer was more effective in inducing a lower baking schedule. The water-soluble acrylic copolymer, which is neutralized with triethylamine, consists of 20 wt % methylmethacrylate, 55 wt % buthylacrylate, 15 wt % hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and 10 wt % itaconic acid. The copolymer showed higher crosslinks when cured with methoxymethyl melamine formaldehyde resin under a relatively lower baking schedule at 135°C for 30 min. It also has excellent solvent and chemical resistance. This coating film has a T_g value of 39°C, modulus of 2 × 10⁸ dyne/cm² in the rubbery state, and M_c value of 464. Also the acrylic copolymer films with M_c < 900 have good properties for solvent, acid, and alkali resistance. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Viscoelastic properties and coating performance of acrylic copolymers crosslinked with melamine resin

For 8 carboxy and hydroxy functional acrylic copolymers crosslinked with melamine resin, glass transition temperature (T_g), molecular weight of chain segments between crosslinked point (M_c), and polymer-solvent interaction parameters (χ_g ) were determined by dynamic mechanical measurements and swelling measurements. T_g increases and M_c decreases with the increase of hydroxyl value and the molecular weight of acrylic copolymers. T_g decreases and M_c increases with the increase of alkyl chain length of acrylate in acrylic copolymers. The film hardness, T_g and polarity of methyl methacrylate (MMA) containing acrylic-melamine-cured films are higher than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine-cured films, but both films are almost the same in the degree of crosslinking (maximum loss tangent, tan δ_max, and M_c). T_g increases and M_c decreases with the increase of melamine resin content for acrylic-melamine coatings. The cured film consists of the acrylic-melamine segments and the melamine-melamine segments at crosslinking points. The carboxy group enhances the crosslinking reactions at low temperatures. All films crosslinked have single glass transition temperatures and broad damping peaks, which show good compatibility. The values of χ_g of acrylic copolymer-melamine films in polar and nonpolar solvents depend on the polarity of acrylic composition and the degree of crosslinking. χ_g values of carboxy functional acrylic-melamine film in any solvents are smaller than that of carboxy and hydroxy functional acrylic-melamine film. χ_g values of MMA-containing acrylic-melamine film in polar solvents are smaller than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine film, but χ_g values of MMA-containing acrylic-melamine film in nonpolar solvents are larger than those of styrene-containing acrylic-melamine film. χ_g values of acrylic-melamine film in polar and nonpolar solvents increase with the increase of alkyl chain length of acrylate. The χ_g values of acrylic-melamine coatings in toluene are less than 0.3 and smaller than those of alkyd coatings.     

Crystallization,microstructure and mechanical behavior of titanium doped barium fluormica glass-ceramics

Crystallization, microstructure and mechanical behavior of TiO₂ doped barium fluorphlogopite glass-ceramics were systematically studied. TiO₂ was used as a doper nucleant in the BaO·4MgO·Al₂O₃·6SiO₂·2MgF₂ glass system. Melting technique was adopted to prepare the glass samples which were analyzed by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and micro hardness indenter. The DTA study demonstrated that the crystallization exotherm of fluorphlogopite mica appeared in the temperature window of 886-903°C. In this investigation, four glass samples were prepared using 2 (MA1), 4 (MA2), 6 (MA3), and 8 (MA4) wt% of TiO_2. Glass transition (T_g) and peak crystallization (T_p) temperatures escalated with an increase in the TiO₂ content from 2 (MA1) to 4 wt% (MA2). However, beyond this value, T_g and T_p decreased with a surge in TiO₂ content from 6 (MA3) to 8 wt% (MA4). Nevertheless, with a gradual rise in the TiO₂ content, the crystals of the glass-ceramics became enlarged and subsequently exhibited mechanical properties, such as hardness, fracture toughness, and machinability. Therefore, in solid oxide fuel cell applications, TiO₂ is a promising nucleating agent to generate fluorphlogopite mica-based glass-ceramics.     

Binders for higher-solids coatings. IV. Liquid–crystalline acrylic lacquers

A previously reported synthetic procedure was used to graft oligo-p-hydroxybenzoic acid (oligo-PHBA) to COOH-functional acrylic copolymers. Most of the products were side-chain LC copolymers. Length of the mesogenic oligo-PHBA groups averaged up to five aromatic rings per group. Because these long mesogenic groups have a strong tendency to form LC domains, it was possible to prepare LC side-chain copolymers having as little as 5 mol % of mesogenic monomer. Thus this synthetic procedure provides a versatile route for exploration of the properties of LC copolymers having relatively few but especially effective mesogenic groups. The potential utility of such LC copolymers as binders for nonbake coatings was assessed. Variables studied were molecular weight and T_g of the acrylic copolymer backbone, number and average length of oligo-PHBA segments, and the presence or absence of a flexible spacer between the acrylic backbone and the PHBA segments. Optimum LC copolymers have moderate (15,000–30,000) M_n, low (?10°C) backbone T_g, and low (5–7.5 mol %) population of long (5 PHBA units) oligo-PHBA units. Such copolymers have two major advantages as coatings binders: They form concentrated, stable, low-viscosity dispersions in common solvents, a very desirable characteristic for application. Coating films have excellent adhesion to metal, and they have an extraordinary combination of hardness (H–2H) and impact resistance (> 80 in. Ib). These properties are key indicators of coating performance and indicate that LC copolymers have excellent potential for use as binders for nonbake coatings. Other properties remain to be investigated.     

Characterization and free radical polymerization of liquid crystalline acrylic acid/cellulose diacetate and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone/cellulose diacetate solutions

Polymerizations of liquid crystalline solutions of cellulose diacetate (CDA) in acrylic acid (AA) and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) were conducted in an attempt to prepare molecular composites (polymer blends) processing a rigid rod polymer with liquid crystalline orientation. CDA was found to form liquid crystalline solutions in both AA and NVP at concentrations avove 40 wt% CDA. Polymerization of anisotropic 50 wt% CDA-AA and CDA-NVP solutions occurred with considerable retention of the starting solution anisotropy and yielded homogeneous blends (1 T_g) when the rate of polymerization was fast relative to the phase separation of the free radically polymerizing AA or NVP with CDA. Slow polymerizations lead to phase separated blends (2 T_g).     

Electrophoretic deposition of titanium nitride coatings

Electrophoretic deposition of the titanium nitride (TiN) coatings from suspensions prepared by dispersion of TiN particles in triethanolamine (TEA) containing butanol medium was studied. Effects of the TiN particles concentration (C_TiN) on the weight of the deposited coatings, triethanolamine concentration (C_TEA=0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mL/L) on the Zeta potential of the TiN particles, suspension electrical conductivity and pH, as well as effects of the deposition voltage (V_d=60, 90, and 120 V) and time (t_d =1, 2, and 3 minutes) on the microstructure and thickness of the deposited coatings were investigated. Variations in deposition current density, effective deposition voltage, electrical resistance, and deposited coating weight versus deposition time were recorded. The morphology of the as‐dried coatings was studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicated that by increasing the C_TiN the weight of deposits increases linearly up to 40 g/L. For suspensions containing C_TiN=40 g/L, the optimum C_TEA is obtained to be 0.5 mL/L leading to Zeta potential of 43.25 mV. Uniform and crack‐free as‐dried coatings obtained at V_d and t_d of 90 V and 2 minutes, respectively.     

Physico-chemical,thermal, and mechanical properties of PLA-nHA nanocomposites: Effect of glass fiber reinforcement

In this study, tri-layered composites were prepared by reinforcing poly-lactic acid (PLA) nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) (1 and 5 wt%) and 20 mol% continuous phosphate glass fibers (PGF). Initially, the effect of addition of 1 and 5% n-HA on the structural, thermal, mechanical, and thermo-mechanical properties of 100% PLA was investigated. With 5 wt% n-HA addition the tensile modulus (TM), flexural modulus (FM), tensile strength (TS), and flexural strength (FS) of 100% PLA was improve by 14.9, 47.4, 6, and 32.9%, respectively. Whereas, the un-notched impact strength of the nanocomposites suffer 2% deterioration. However, T _g decreased by 0.3°C and T _c increased by 10°C as 5 wt% n-HA was added to 100% PLA. Afterwards, the 5% n-HA/PLA composite were reinforced with 20 mol% continuous PGF and the TM, FM, TS, and FS of the tri-layered composites were 162.6, 412.5, 28.4, and 157.4% higher as compared to 100%PLA. Furthermore, the storage modulus of the 1% n-HA-filled composites was 500 MPa lower than 100%PLA, while 5 wt% n-HA-filled composites showed similar storage modulus as 100% PLA. 5 wt% n-HA-filled composite showed the highest peak of loss modulus which may be attribute to the chain segment of PLA matrix after the incorporation of HA. Thus, n-HA and PGF reinforcement resulted in improved mechanical properties of the composites and have great potential as biodegradable bone fixation device with enhanced load-bearing ability.     

Ultraviolet curable dry polymer films from emulsion polymers

Low levels of functional acrylic monomers were incorporated into a core‐shell acrylic copolymer by seeded emulsion polymerization. The increase in glass transition temperature, T_g, from DSC measurement has showed that although certain amount of crosslinking reactions have occurred during the polymerization and isolation of the copolymer, the dried copolymer films could undergo further curing by UV irradiation. The structure and amount of the functional monomer, concentration of photoinitiator, and the extent of UV exposure have exerted significant influence on the T_g of the dry copolymer films. Because of the relatively low level of incorporated unsaturation, there was no significant change in FTIR during the curing of the film. Further, crosslinking of the copolymer film induced by UV irradiation has significantly increased the resistance to swelling in alkaline solution, although the gel content remained the same. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 2317–2322, 2006     

Solventless UV crosslinkable acrylic pressure sensitive adhesives

The synthesis and characterization of solventless acrylic UV crosslinkable pressure sensitive adhesives are presented. Different prepolymers were synthesized using bulk polymerization procedure. The reaction mixture consisted of acrylic monomers (2-ethylhexyl acrylate, acrylic acid and t-butyl acrylate), azobisisobutyronitrile initiator, chain transfer agent n-dodecylmercaptan and unsaturated UV photoinitiator 4-acryloyloxybezophenone, which was copolymerized into polymer backbone. Different formulations were tested and the prepolymer was characterized by viscosity measurements and final monomer conversions. The prepolymers were coated onto PET foil and crosslinked by application of UV light source. Peel adhesion at 180° on glass plate was measured. Gel phase was determined using the Soxhlet extraction and copolymer glass transition temperatures (T_g) were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results showed that the final monomer conversions in highly exothermic bulk polymerization reached a level between 75% and 90%. Prepolymer viscosity was highly influenced by change in polymer molecular weight and by addition of acrylic acid as a comonomer. On the other hand, the viscosity remained at the low level when t-butyl acrylate was used. The amount of gel phase for all adhesives was above 60 wt.%. Peel strength measurements showed decrease in peel strength with decreasing polymer molecular weight and increase of peel, when acrylic acid was used as a comonomer. All adhesive coatings with t-butyl acrylate comonomer showed cohesive failure.     

Some properties of styrene‐based ionomers. I

Some properties of styrene‐based ionomers containing alkali metal salts of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid have been investigated. A study has been conducted to examine the influence of the acidic content and nature (acrylic or methacrylic) and the nature of the alkali metal salt on the glass transition temperature, density, melt index and activation energy of a flow of the styrene‐based ionomers. The present studies have indicated that the temperature of glass transition (T_g) of sodium ionomers increases as the sodium content rises and the region of the glass transition broadens. The T_g's of the styrene‐acrylic acid (S‐AA) ionomers do not depend on the nature of the alkali metal introduced into the copolymer. The density of films rises with the content of acid or salt introduced to the polystyrene chain. The melt index of the investigated ionomers depends on the amount and type of the introduced acid and salt as well as on the molecular weight of the initial copolymer. The energy of activation of the flow is independent of the polymer molecular weight; however, the energy of activation of flow of the ionomers increases with larger ionic radii of the introduced alkali metal. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 55–62, 2003     

Liquid crystalline acrylic copolymers for high-solids enamel coatings

Carboxyl functional liquid crystalline (LC) acrylic copolymers were synthesized and were compared with carboxyl functional control copolymers of M?_n about 5000–15,000. Both types were crosslinked with a hexakismethoxymethyl melamine (HMMM) resin at 150°C, a temperature below the clearing points of the LC copolymers. Birefringent phases were visible in the crosslinked films made from LC polymers. FT-IR indicated the presence of unreacted COOH in all crosslinked materials. Unreacted COOH groups in crosslinked LC copolymers appeared only slightly higher than those in crosslinked amorphous copolymers. The potential utility of these LC copolymers as binders for thermosetting coatings was assessed. Variables studied were HMMM content, the length of PHBA grafts, T_g and M?_n of the acrylic copolymer backbone, and functionality. Optimum LC copolymers have low backbone T_g (<O°C) and low functionality (< 7.5 mol %). Cured films of such copolymers have both high hardness (> 35 KHN), high impact resistance (> 80 in. ib), excellent adhesion, and good solvent resistance.     

High heat vinyl alloys for injection molding applications

Excessive distortion, warpage, and sagging resulting from heat generation by electrical components and transporting environments has limited the penetration of PVC into high flow injection molding applications such as business machine, appliance, and electrical housings. High flow PVC formulations lose their rigidity at temperatures typical of these applications because the application temperatures are very close to the glass transition temperature (T_g) of PVC. In addition, thermal stresses built in during processing relax near the T_g of the material. Adding a glutarimide acrylic copolymer increases the T_g of PVC; consequently, raising the temperature at which the PVC/glutarimide copolymer blend loses its rigidity well above required application temperatures. This paper describes the effect of adding a glutarimide copolymer on the heat distortion properties and other physical and rheological properties important to high flow injection molding applications.