| Abstract: | Effect of polymerization temperature on the phase-separated structure of the composite materials P(St-DVB)/PVC systems] prepared by copolymerization of styrene (St) and divinylbenzene (DVB) in the presence of fine poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) powder was studied by electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical test. P(St-DVB)/PVC systems have the two-phase nature with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer as the continuous phase P(St-DVB) phase) and a PSt/PVC composite as the dispersed phase (PSt-PVC phase), in which PSt penetrates into the PVC domain. The crosslinking density of the P(St-DVB) phase is larger than that estimated from the recipe in the feed, suggesting that there exists a difference of the diffusion constants of styrene and divinylbenzene into the PVC particles on the paste formation and the polymerization process. The changes of the phase-separated structure of P(St-DVB)/PVC systems polymerized at various temperatures are also explained on the basis of the difference between the diffusion behavior of styrene and that of divinylbenzene into fine PVC particles at these temperatures. |
