Enhancement of interfacial adhesion and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites with amine-terminated poly(ethylene oxide)

We have studied the dynamic mechanical behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/acidified multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) composites compatibilized with amine-terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-NH₂). PEO-NH₂ is ionically associated with acidified MWNTs via ionic interaction as shown by XPS and FTIR. The miscibility between PEO and PMMA improves the interfacial adhesion between polymer matrix and MWNTs, leading to an increase in the storage modulus values of the composites. The effects of PEO-NH₂ on storage modulus and glass transition temperature are discussed.     

On the deformation of poly(methyl methacrylate) poly(ethylene oxide) blends: A molecular characterization by small-angle neutron scattering

The deformation behavior of miscible amorphous/amorphous PMMA/PEO poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends was compared with that of pure PMMA. Small-angle neutron scattering experiments were performed on labeled systems made of PEO + D-PMMA + HPMMA. Characteristic molecular parameters such as radius of gyration, Rg, molecular weight, M_w, and interaction parameter, X, were extracted from the coherent scattering cross sections, Molecular anisotropy was measured on the solid state coextruded samples, and the observed drawing efficiency is compared with, the results of shrinkage tests. In the case of PMMA/PEO blends, anomalous scattering behavior precludes any quantitative Interpretation of the scattering patterns, but revealed important structural changes upon drawing, namely a deformation-induced phase separation.     

Miscibility enhancement on the poly(vinylchloride)/poly(methylmethacrylate) blend and characterization by inverse gas chromatography: The corrected polymer–polymer interaction parameters from the probes dependency

The miscibility of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(methylmethacrylate) (PVC/PMMA) system was improved by introducing some pyrrolidone units into the main chains of PMMA. For that purpose, we have synthesized two copolymers of poly(methylmethacrylate‐co‐vinylpyrrolidone) (MMVP) through a radical polymerization and carried out a comparative study of PVC/MMVP blends by inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The adequacy of seven n‐alkane probes has been tested to determine the thermodynamic parameters. The miscibility of the two systems has been proved by a single T_g for each blend. This observation was also confirmed by DSC analysis. To highlight the presence of interaction and its intensity between PVC and MMVP in the blends, the polymer–polymer interaction parameters have been evaluated by IGC trough which the influence of the solute has been resolved. The Schneider approach confirmed the miscibility of these systems as the K deviates positively from unity. The miscibility has been appeared highlighted from the positive difference in surface energy between the pure polymers and their blends. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Ionomeric blends of poly(ethylene oxide) with poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) ionomer: Miscibility,crystallization, and melting behavior

The miscibility and crystallization behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) ionomer (SMAI) blends were studied by the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This study has demonstrated that the presence of ion–dipole interactions enhances the miscibility of otherwise immiscible polymers in the PEO and high molecular weight poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) (SMA). The effect of ion–dipole interactions on enhancing miscibility is confirmed by the presence of a single glass transition temperature (T_g) and a depression of the equilibrium melting temperature of the PEO component. The equilibrium melting temperature of PEO in the blends are obtained using Hoffman‐Weeks plots. The interaction energy density, β, is calculated from these data using the Nishi‐Wang equation. The results suggest that PEO and SMAI blends are thermodynamically miscible in the melt. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1–7, 2000     

Miscibility of C60-end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) with poly(vinyl chloride)

The miscibility of blends of single [60]fullerene (C₆₀)-end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) (FPEO) or double C₆₀-end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) (FPEOF) with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) has been studied. Similar to poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), both FPEO and FPEOF are also miscible with PVC over the entire composition range. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the development of a new low-binding-energy Cl2p doublet and a new high-binding-energy O1s peak in FPEO/PVC blends. The results show that the miscibility between FPEO and PVC arises from hydrogen bonding interaction between the α-hydrogen of PVC and the ether oxygen of FPEO. From the melting point depression of PEO, FPEO or FPEOF in the blends, the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters were found to be −0.169, −0.142, −0.093 for PVC/PEO, PVC/FPEO and PVC/FPEOF, respectively, demonstrating that all the three blend systems are miscible in the melt. However, the incorporation of C₆₀ slightly impairs the interaction between PEO and PVC.     

Miscibility and melting behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate) blends

The miscibility and melting behavior of binary crystalline blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) have been investigated with differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscope. The blends exhibit a single composition‐dependent glass transition temperature (T_g) and the measured T_g fit well with the predicted T_g value by the Fox equation and Gordon‐Taylor equation. In addition to that, a single composition‐dependent cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) value can be observed and it decreases nearly linearly with the low T_g component, PTT, which can also be taken as a valid supportive evidence for miscibility. The SEM graphs showed complete homogeneity in the fractured surfaces of the quenched PET/PTT blends, which provided morphology evidence of a total miscibility of PET/PTT blend in amorphous state at all compositions. The polymer–polymer interaction parameter, χ₁₂, calculated from equilibrium melting temperature depression of the PET component was ?0.1634, revealing miscibility of PET/PTT blends in the melting state. The melting crystallization temperature (T_mc) of the blends decreased with an increase of the minor component and the 50/50 sample showed the lowest T_mc value, which is also related to its miscible nature in the melting state. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Miscibility of polymethyl methacrylate with poly(hydroxy ether) of bisphenol A

The miscibility of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with the poly(hydroxy ether) of bisphenol A (phenoxy resin) was studied and PMMA has been found to be miscible with phenoxy resin. PMMA/phenoxy blends were found to be clear and showed a single, composition-dependent glass transition temperature. The k parameter of the Gordon-Taylor equation can be taken as a measure of the strength of the specific interaction between the two polymers, and a low value of k = 0.3 is found for the PMMA/Phenoxy blends. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) showed the presence and nature of intermolecular interactions between the two polymers.     

Study of the solvent effect on miscibility between poly(vinyl chloride) and poly(methyl methacrylate) in the solution state – viscometric measurements

In this work, the solvent effect on the miscibility between poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in ternary polymer solutions was examined by the viscometric method. In these systems, we could understand that the used solvents, tetrahydrofuran (THF) or N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), mainly affect the interaction between PVC and PMMA, while prompting various miscible properties. In PVC/PMMA/THF solution, THF is a near θ‐solvent and a poor solvent for PVC and PMMA, respectively. The mixing of the tighter PMMA coils and more extended PVC coils in THF may cause the sea–island heterogeneous structure below the weight fraction of PMMA in the polymer mixture w_PMMA = 0.7, resulting in immiscible PVC/PMMA mixtures. At w_PMMA ≥ 0.7, the PVC/PMMA mixtures are relatively miscible, giving homogeneous polymer solutions. It means that the miscibility between PVC and PMMA depends on the composition of polymer mixture. However, due to the similar affinity of DMF to PVC and PMMA, PVC/PMMA/DMF solutions exhibit high miscibility between PVC and PMMA at about w_PMMA = 0.5. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Thermal properties of melt‐blended poly(ether ether ketone) and poly(ether imide)

The thermal properties of blends of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and poly(ether imide) (PEI) prepared by screw extrusion were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. From the thermal analysis of amorphous PEEK–PEI blends which were obtained by quenching in liquid nitrogen, a single glass transition temperature (T_g) and negative excess heat capacities of mixing were observed with the blend composition. These results indicate that there is a favorable interaction between the PEEK and PEI in the blends and that there is miscibility between the two components. From the Lu and Weiss equation and a modified equation from this work, the polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ₁₂) of the amorphous PEEK–PEI blends was calculated and found to range from −0.058 to −0.196 for the extruded blends with the compositions. The χ₁₂ values calculated from this work appear to be lower than the χ₁₂ values calculated from the Lu and Weiss equation. The χ₁₂ values calculated from the T_g method both ways decreased with increase of the PEI weight fraction. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 733–739, 1999     

A study on swelling behavior of poly(p‐chloro styrene) networks in some aromatic hydrocarbons and linear poly(p‐chloro styrene) solutions

Crosslinked networks (NPPCS) and linear polymers (LPPCS) of poly (p‐chloro styrene) were synthesized by free‐radical polymerization of p‐chloro styrene. NPPCS networks were swollen in four different molecular weights of LPPCS solutions in toluene at three different concentrations. The equilibrium swelling results were evaluated by means of Flory‐Rehner theory to obtain network–linear polymer interaction parameter, χ′₂₃ between NPPCS and LPPCS. It was concluded that the parameter χ′₂₃ decreased with molecular weight but increased with concentration of LPPCS in outer solution. The solvent independent interaction parameter between NPPCS and PPCS was estimated as 0.7 by extrapolation of the values of χ′₂₃ to zero value of the fraction ratio of solvent to linear polymer, ν₁/ν₃ inside the network. As well as, the binary interaction parameters, χ₁₂ of NPPCS with benzene, ethyl benzene, n‐propyl benzene and isopropyl benzene were obtained by means of Flory‐Rehner theory at temperatures between 25 and 55°C. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

The study of poly(styrene‐co‐p‐(hexafluoro‐2‐hydroxylisopropyl)‐α‐methylstyrene)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends

Different hydroxyl content poly(styrene‐co‐p‐(hexafluoro‐2‐hydroxylisopropyl)‐α‐methylstyene) [PS(OH)‐X] copolymers were synthesized and blends with 2,2,6,6‐tetramrthyl‐piperdine‐1‐oxyl end spin‐labeled PEO [SLPEO] were prepared. The miscibility behavior of all the blends was predicted by comparing the critical miscible polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ_crit) with the polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ). The micro heterogeneity, chain motion, and hydrogen bonding interaction of the blends were investigated by the ESR spin label method. Two spectral components with different rates of motion were observed in the ESR composite spectra of all the blends, indicating the existence of microheterogeneity at the molecular level. According to the variations of ESR spectral parameters T_a, T_d, ΔT, T_50G and τ_c, with the increasing hydroxyl content in blends, it was shown that the extent of miscibility was progressively enhanced due to the controllable hydrogen bonding interaction between the hydroxyl in PS(OH) and the ether oxygen in PEO. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2312–2317, 2004     

Effect of tacticity of poly(methyl methacrylate) on the miscibility with poly(vinyl acetate)

The results of the miscibility between the chemically similar polymers poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) published so far show inconsistent statements concerning miscibility. The problems may be due to differences in molecular weights, tacticity, and preparation methods of the polymers. This investigation was carried out by using either chloroform or tetrahydrofuran (THF) as solvent to prepare the blends, because to our knowledge, nobody has reported any tacticity effect of PMMA on the miscibility with PVAc. Therefore, in this article, different tactic PMMAs were used to mix with PVAc and their miscibility was studied calorimetrically. The results showed little effect of solvent and tacticity. PMMA and PVAc were determined to be almost completely immiscible because of the observation of two T_g's. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 35–39, 2004     

Feather‐like morphology of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends: The effect of cooling rate and poly(methyl methacrylate) content

The effect of cooling rate on the crystallization morphology and growth rate of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and PEO/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends has been observed by Hot Stage Polarized Microscopy (HS‐POM). The isothermal crystallization kinetics study was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The spherulite morphology has been observed for the neat PEO with molecular weight of 6000 g/mol. By adding of PMMA with molecular weight of 39,300 g/mol, the growth fronts become irregular. With the increasing of PMMA content, the irregularity of growth front becomes more obvious, and the feather‐like morphology can be observed. When PMMA content is 60%, the spherulite is seriously destroyed. This phenomenon is more obvious for the slow cooling process. Based on the measurement of spherulite, the growth rate curves were obtained. According to the curves, it can be seen that the growth rate decreases with the increasing of PMMA content, and the growth rate during the slow cooling process is higher than that of the fast cooling process. The isothermal crystallization experiment indicates that the crystallization rate decreases dramatically with the increasing of PMMA content. And the Avrami parameter n was obtained, which is non‐integral and less than 3. Finally, it can be concluded that the higher value of n can be obtained for the condition with low crystallization rate. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41705.     

Poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends: Influence of tacticity of poly(methyl methacrylate) on blend structure and miscibility

The influence of different configurations of poly(methyl methacrylate) on the miscibility and superstructure of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO/PMMA) blends was examined using small-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. The blends prepared by solution casting were isothermally crystallized at 48°C. The miscibility, the melting behaviour, the glass transition temperature and the structural parameters of the blends were strongly dependent on the tacticity and blend composition. The small-angle X-ray intensity profiles were analysed using a recently developed methodology. For the poly(ethylene oxide)/atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO/APMMA) and poly(ethylene oxide)/syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO/SPMMA) blends, the long period and the amorphous and transition region thicknesses increased with increase of PMMA content, whereas for the poly(ethylene oxide)/isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEO/IPMMA) blends they are independent of composition. The structural properties of the blends were attributed to the presence of non-crystallizable material in the interlamellar or interfibrillar regions, depending on PMMA tacticity. From the glass transition and melting temperatures, it has been supposed that one homogeneous amorphous phase is present in the case of PEO/APMMA and PEO/SPMMA blends and that the PEO/IPMMA amorphous system is phase-separated. The free-volume contribution to the energy of mixing for the various tactic PMMAs is hypothesized to be responsible for the difference in mixing behaviour.     

MesoDyn modeling study of the phase morphologies of miktoarm poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers doped with nanoparticles

Earlier studies have shown that poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blocks are compatible at 270 and 298 K, and that their Flory–Huggins interaction parameters have the same blending ratio dependence at both temperatures. At a much higher temperature (400 K), the behavior of PEO/PMMA blends is strikingly different as both components become incompatible, while the Flory–Huggins parameters are low. Here we investigate the effect of doping with nanoparticles on the degree of incompatibility of twelve miktoarm PEO‐b‐PMMA copolymers at 400 K. Since PEO tends to be semicrystalline and long chains aggregate easily, PEO‐rich and long‐chain copolymer blends feature the highest degree of incompatibility for all nanoparticle arrangements and present cubic phase morphologies. In addition, the largest nanoparticles can reinforce the microscopic phase separation of all PEO‐b‐PMMA copolymers. This shows that the main factor affecting the phase morphology is the size of the nanoparticles. Also, only the asymmetric Da3‐type PEO‐rich copolymers show a hexagonal cylindrical phase morphology, which illustrates the effect induced by the nanoparticles on the microscopic phase separation changes of the PEO‐b‐PMMA copolymers. These induced effects are also related to the composition and molecular architecture of the copolymers. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Correlation between interactions, miscibility, and spherulite growth in crystalline/crystalline blends of poly(ethylene oxide) and polyesters

Crystalline/crystalline blend systems of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and a homologous series of polyesters, from poly(ethylene adipate) to poly(hexamethylene sebacate), of different CH₂/CO ratios (from 3.0 to 7.0) were examined. Correlation between interactions, miscibility, and spherulite growth rate was discussed. Owing to proximity of blend constituents' T_g's, the miscibility in the crystalline/crystalline blends was mainly justified by thermodynamic and kinetic evidence extracted from characterization of the PEO crystals grown from mixtures of PEO and polyesters at melt state. By overcoming experimental difficulty in assessing the phase behavior of two crystalline polymers with closely spaced T_g's, this work has further extended the range of polyesters that can be miscible with PEO. The interaction parameters (χ₁₂) for miscible blends of PEO with polyesters [poly(ethylene adipate), poly(propylene adipate), poly(butylene adipate), and poly(ethylene azelate) with CH₂/CO = 3.0-4.5] are all negative but the values vary with the polyester structures, with a maximum for the blend of PEO/poly(propylene adipate) (CH₂/CO = 3.5). The values of interactions are apparently dependent on the structures of the polyester constituent in the blends; interaction strength for the miscible PEO/polyester systems correlate in the same trend with the PEO crystal growth rates in the blends.     

Solution blending of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. Blends were made of a low molecular weight PS with three PMMAs having number-average molecular weights of (1) 18,300, (2) 37,000, and (3) 211,000, The blend was found to be partially miscible. The composition-dependent values of the polymer-polymer interaction parameter (g₁₂) were determined and found to be from 0.015 to 0.029 for solution casting at 25°C. The interaction parameter (g₁₂) increases with increasing PMMA molecular weights in the PMMA/PS blend systems. This result is consistent with the behavior of the glass transition temperatures and with the microscopy study which indicate that compatibility is greater in the PMMA-1/PS blends having the low molecular weight of PMMA than in the PMMA-3/PS blends having the higher molecular weights of PMMA.     

Miscibility of blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) and oligodiols based on a bisphenol A nucleus and ethylene oxide or propylene oxide branches

Cloud-point curves of blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with a series of oligodiols based on a bisphenol A nucleus and short branches of poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(propylene oxide) (BPA-EO or BPA-PO), and with PEO and PPO oligomers, were obtained using a light transmission device. Experimental results were fitted with the Flory-Huggins model using an interaction parameter depending on both temperature and composition. For PMMA/PEO and PMMA/PPO blends, the miscibility increased when increasing the size of the diol, due to the significant decrease in the entropic and enthalpic terms contributing to the interaction parameter. This reflected the decrease in the self-association of solvent molecules and in the contribution of terminal OH groups to the mismatching of solubility parameters. For PMMA/BPA-EO blends, a decrease of the entropic contribution to the interaction parameter when increasing the size of the oligodiol was also found. However, the effect was counterbalanced by the opposite contribution of combinatorial terms leading to cloud-point curves located in approximately the same temperature range. For PMMA/BPA-PO blends, the interaction parameter exhibited a very low value. In this case, the effect of solvent size was much more important on combinatorial terms than on the interaction parameter, leading to an increase in miscibility when decreasing the oligodiol size. For short BPA-PO oligodiols no phase separation was observed. The entropic contribution of the interaction parameter exhibited an inverse relationship with the size of the oligodiols, independent of the nature of the chains bearing the hydroxyls and the type of OH groups (primary or secondary). This indicates that the degree of self-association of solvent molecules through their OH terminal groups, was mainly determined by their relative sizes.     

Miscibility of poly(caprolactone)/chlorinated polypropylene and poly(caprolactone)/poly(chlorostyrene) blends

Poly(caprolactone) (PCL) was blended with poly(chlorostyrene) (PSCI) and chlorinated polypropylene (PPCl). A single glass transition temperature T_g was found for these mixtures, indicating their miscibility. PCL crystallizes in these blends when the chlorinated polymer content is not too high. Otherwise, T_g becomes higher than the melting point of PCL and the high viscosity of the medium hinders the crystallization. The miscibility of PCL/PPCI blends cannot be due to hydrogen bonding between the α-hydrogens of the chlorinated polymer and the carbonyl group of the polyester since PPCI does not have available a large number of α-hydrogens. It is suggested that a dipoledipole ? C?O…Cl? C? interaction is responsible for the observed miscibility phenomenon and that this interaction is probably also responsible for the miscibility between all other polyesterchlorinated polymer mixtures. Finally, it was observed that poly(α-methyl-α-n-propyl-β-propiolactone), poly(α-methyl-α-ethyl-β-propiolactone) and poly(valerolactone) are not miscible with PSCI or PPCl, despite the fact that they are miscible with poly(vinyl chloride).     

Blends of polycarbonate with poly(methyl methacrylate): Miscibility,phase continuity,and interfacial adhesion

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) concurrently show that polycarbonate (PC)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends have a two-phase structure. The differences between the T_gs of parent polymers and the T_gs of conjugate phases, determined by both DMTA and DSC, indicate a limited miscibility of components and allow the approximate composition of conjugate phases to be calculated. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameter calculated by using these data assumes values about 0.035 ± 0.010. Phase inversion occurs in an interval close to the 50/50 composition, though the molar masses and melt viscosities of the polymers were rather different. Partial miscibility of components ensures interfacial adhesion capable of sustaining the stress transfer between phases up to fracture. Yield stress of the blends is very close to values foreseen by the rule of mixtures. A specific feature of the blends studied is that the addition of 10 to 20 vol% of PMMA to PC increases the strain at break and work to fracture, which are rather low for the PC used. The enhanced capability of the blends to absorb mechanical energy is probably linked to plastic deformation of the dispersed PMMA.