Studies on NBR/PVC blends

Studies conducted on butadiene–acrylonitrile copolymer (NBR)/poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends at different temperatures indicate that an optimum temperature exists for the formation of a particular blend. The mechanical properties of the blends confirm this observation. PVC stabilizer based on magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, and stearic acid was found to be very useful in NBR/PVC blends.     

Studies on oil distribution in polymer blends

Oils and resins are widely used in rubber industries to improve or control the mechanical properties, viscoelastic behavior, processability, and tackiness of a rubber compound. Very few fundamental studies have been reported on the function and the mechanism of oils and resins in a rubber mixture. In this article oil or resin distribution to each phase in an immiscible binary elastomer blend was studied by measuring the change of thermodynamical parameters, such as glass transition temperature, melting point of crystallines, and heat at melt of each polymer component. Several independent approaches give consistent results. It was found that aromatic oil was favorably distributed to the polystyrene-butadiene (SBR) phase of an SBR/natural rubber (NR) blend. Similarly, unequal distribution of resin in a blend was observed for a natural resin (rosin) and a petroleum resin. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Studies on polyethylene oxide and phenolic resin blends

Blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and novolac type phenolic resin were prepared by a solution cast method using acetonitrile as a solvent. In this work, we have investigated the PEO/phenolic blends having low phenolic content (0 to 30 wt %) with the objective in mind to design a crystallizable component for a shape memory polymer system having adjustable switching temperature. The blends were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, polarized optical microscopy (POM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The rate of crystallization and crystallinity (calculated from heat of crystallization value) decrease with increase in novolac content. FTIR analysis indicates the existence of H‐bonding between hydroxyl groups of novolac and ether groups of PEO. POM studies indicate that size of Maltese cross section decreases with increase in novolac content and in the blends containing higher novolac content less regular leaf like texture was obtained. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effects of preferential encapsulation of glass fiber on the properties of ternary GF/PA/PP blends

Long fiber molding materials are expected to play an important role in the near future. This paper describes a series of experiments performed to examine properties of ternary blends containing glass fiber (GF), polyamide (PA), and polypropylene (PP). The continuous glass fiber was impregnated with one of the blend constituent polymers by our specially designed impregnation apparatus and cut into chips of 6 mm length. These chips and the other polymer were used to produce various testing specimens in a twin screw extruder or in injection molding machine. The results indicated that the effect of fiber addition on the mechanical and rheological properties is clearly dependent on the order of impregnation process. In the blends containing the GF/PA + PP, the GFs are preferentially encapsulated with PA, and therefore the mechanical properties are superior to the blends with the GF/PP + PA in which the PP phase is located surrounding the GFs. This improved wetting of fibers by sequential impregnation not only resulted in better properties but also protected the fibers from shear action of the screw, thereby allowing significant increase in average fiber length to be achieved in the injection molding process.     

Studies on epoxy blends modified with a hyperbranched polyester

Thermomechanical and rheological properties of epoxy blends modified with different percentages of a hyperbranched polymer have been reported. The addition of the hyperbranched modifier did not alter the rheological behavior of the blend. This effect is particularly advantageous for some composite manufacturing techniques because it allows for the establishment of low viscosity during processing. Morphological development was studied under curing by hot stage microscopy. The cryo‐fractured surfaces of the cured samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The morphological analysis showed that the blends did not phase separate at any modifier percentage. This result was further supported by dynamic mechanical testing (DMTA) on cured samples. In fact, DMTA showed a single relaxation peak for all the formulations studied. The dynamic testing was also used to assess the damping properties of the systems. The blends of this study were also compared with similar systems modified with poly(ε‐caprolactone), which were the subjects of a previous article. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Studies on miscibility of polyacrylamide/polyethylene glycol blends

Miscibility studies have been conducted on solutions of blends of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) over an extended range of concentrations in water. The ultrasonic velocity, viscosity, density, and refractive index of the blends have been measured for different compositions viz., 0/100, 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/30, 90/10, and 100/0 of PAAm/PEG blends at 30°C. The interaction parameters such as μ and α have been evaluated using the viscosity data to probe the miscibility. The obtained results have been confirmed by the ultrasonic velocity, density, and refractive index. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2048–2053, 2007     

短切玻璃纤维(GF)增强PET复合材料的研究

通过溶液法制备了短切玻璃纤维增强PET复合材料;研究了短切玻璃纤维含量和长度对PET／GF复合材料强度的影响;并对试样冲击断口的显微结构和断裂形态进行了分析。结果表明,复合材料的强度随玻璃纤维含量的增加先提高后降低,即出现极值,随玻璃纤维长度的增加其强度略有提高;且要制得玻璃纤维分布均匀的PET／GF复合材料;KH550是PET／GF复合体系的良好偶联剂。     

Dynamic rheological properties of binary PP/PA and ternary PP/PA/GF blends

The dynamic rheological behavior was investigated for binary polypropylene (PP) - polyamide-6 (PA-6) and ternary PP-PA-6-glass fiber (GF) blends. The observed trends are related to the blend morphology and the partitioning of the GF within the three component blends. The dynamic and shear viscosity results show a good overlap for the PP homopolymer, within the shear rates studied. The addition of PA-6 and/or glass fibers to the PP causes significant deviations between the two rheological behaviors. This reflects the fibrillation of PA-6 and the orientation of glass fibers during shear rheometry, which reduce the blends' shear viscosity. The effect of PA-6 content on dynamic viscosity is less significant than for shear viscosity, owing to the absence of morphological structuring. The addition of PA-6 to PP increased the principal relaxation time of the binary blends. The addition of GF to these binary blends gave a further increase in the principal relaxation time.     

Studies on compatibility of biodegradable starch/polyvinyl alcohol blends

Compatibility of starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blends, prepared by solution cast method, is dependent on the blend composition. Crystallinity of the blend, as measured by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), decreases with increase in starch content. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the broadness in the peak width at the degradation region increases with increase in starch content in the starch/PVA blend. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) reveal that the broadness of the relaxation peaks is due to the partial compatibility of the glycerol plasticized starch/PVA blends. The tensile property decreases with increase in starch content and the 30/70 starch/PVA blend shows maximum ductility in respect to both the percentage of elongation and energy at break. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Studies on simultaneous crystallization of polypropylene/nylon 12 blends

The effect of the morphology of polypropylene (PP)/nylon 12 (PA12) blends on their crystallization behaviour is studied using differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. In PP/ maleated polypropylene (PP-MA)/PA12=65/10/25 blend, simultaneous phase (PA12) is smaller than 0.5 μm, PP crystallizes first and its crystals induce the crystallization of PA12. When some of the PA12 particles are larger than 0.5 μm, this part of PA12 crystallizes first. Then this part of the PA12 crystals induces the crystallization of PP, and PP crystals induced the crystallization of PA12 fine droplets in turn.     

Studies on the blends of polycarbonate and highly branched polystyrene

A highly branched polystyrene (HBPS) was synthesized via the copolymerization of 4‐(chloromethyl) styrene with styrene using the self‐condensing atom transfer radical polymerization method. The addition of this highly branched polystyrene as a melt modifier for polycarbonate (PC) was attempted. Indeed, the results show that the addition of highly branched polystyrene can decrease the melt viscosity of PC with little change in mechanical properties, although the blends do exhibit lower thermal stability compared with pure PC. Extrapolation shows that all of the blends have an initial weight loss temperature above 450°C with a statistic heat‐resistant index T_s above 225°C. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2425–2430, 2004     

Studies on the thermal and curing behavior of polyimide blends

Blends of thermosetting (Thermid MC-600 and Thermid FA-700) and thermoplastic (UL-TEM 1000) polyimide resins with different compositions were prepared. Curing and thermal behavior of the blends were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic thermogravimetry in a nitrogen atmosphere. The peak exotherm temperature increased with increasing amount of thermoplastic resin, whereas the heat of polymerization decreased. The electrical characteristics of the blends were also investigated using a dielectric analyzer. Dynamic as well as isothermal scans were recorded. Ionic conductivity, permittivity, and the loss factor were measured as a function of temperature at various frequencies. These results showed the complete curing of the resins having 50% Ultem at 225°C in 1 h, whereas Thermid MC-600 required a postcuring step to observe fully cured resins. A marginal decrease in thermal stability was observed on blending. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Studies on blends of polyethylene terephthalate with bisphenol-a-polycarbonate and polypropylene

Moldability and mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) under normal molding conditions were found to improve significantly when it was blended with bisphenol-A-polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP) to form ternary polymer blend systems. DSC results of these blends revealed that the PET and PC components formed a miscible blend while PP being incompatible with them, formed a separate phase. PP was also found to form a sleeve around the PET-PC miscible phase and, thereby, showed a skin-core type of morphology. Variations of mechanical properties with varying amounts of PP was measured keeping the ratio of PET and PC constant. Tensile and flexural properties of the blends decrease with the amount of PP. Notched impact strength increases up to a certain level of PP and then decreases, while the unnotched values decrease gradually. The effect of annealing on the mechanical properties of these blends have been discussed on the basis of the increased crystallinity of some of the components.     

Studies of polymer-cellulose blends prepared from solution

The conditions under which cellulose-cellulose triacetate (CTA) and cellulose-poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) blends can be prepared from solution, are described in this paper. These two systems form transparent films when the blend contains less than 50% PAN or 60% CTA. Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at rupture were measured for these blends. These values usually are between those of the corresponding homopolymers, except for the blend containing 10% polymer (PAN or CTA) which has a tensile strength value larger than that of cellulose. This result seems to indicate a certain level of compatibility for this blend. However, x-ray measurements indicate the presence of two crystal structures for these systems, suggesting that compatibility does not exist at the molecular level, in the crystalline fraction of the samples.     

GF对微发泡PP/GF复合材料力学性能影响

将经过改性的玻璃纤维(GF)以不同的含量加入到聚丙烯(PP)中,在二次开模条件下制备微发泡PP/GF复合材料,分析了不同含量GF对微发泡PP复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明,GF具有明显的填充增强作用,当GF质量分数为20%时,微发泡PP复合材料的拉伸强度达到50.24 MPa,比未发泡纯PP的提高了59.5%;微发泡材料的冲击强度为7.37kJ/m2,发泡后材料的冲击强度与纯PP的相比提高了93.9%;发泡后材料密度相对于未发泡的显著下降。     

Studies on polymer blends. II. Butadiene–styrene copolymers and polybutadiene–polystyrene blends

The properties of butadiene–styrene copolymers and of polybutadiene–polystyrene blends were compared. Polybutadiene, polystyrene, and four copolymers having styrene contents of 20, 40, 60, and 80% were prepared. The copolymers were compared with blends having various styrene contents and prepared by means of latex blending and roll blending. Vulcanizates were prepared by three different curing methods, i.e., sulfur cure, peroxide cure, and radiation cure. The results of the benzene extraction of three vulcanizates showed that the polystyrene blended was not cured by any of the curing methods used. The properties of the vulcanizates of the copolymers were markedly different from those of the blends, i.e., in the case of the blends the properties showed a linear relationship with their blending ratio, while in the copolymers the properties showed a curvilinear relationship which had an inflection point at a styrene content of about 60%. From this phenomenon of the copolymers, it was proposed that the second-order transition point of styrene is the cause of the properties showing this peculiar point. From the results, it was found that the behavior of styrene in copolymers is essentially different from that in blends.     

Studies on fracture behavior of tough PA6/PP blends

Fracture toughness of injection-molded PA6/PP blends compatibilized with SEBS-g-MA was studied using deeply double-edge notched tension (DDENT) specimens according to the essential work of fracture procedure. The fracture mechanical studies also included tensile impact tests on the DDENT specimens and characterization of the fracture surfaces by electron microscopy. The results were compared with those of traditional tensile tests and Izod impact tests on single-edge notched samples, and the sensibility of the methods was evaluated. Effects of sample position, ligament length, testing direction, and test speed were studied as well. It was found that the essential work of fracture concept, earlier applied to thin sheets, can also be applied to injection-molded tough blends. High deformation of the skin may, however, interfere with the measurements and cause a “tail” in the load-deformation curves. The plastic work of fracture (w_p) was found to correlate with the impact strength, and thus, it described the toughness. The highest values for work of fracture were recorded for the compatibilized blend with a PA6/PP ratio of 80/20. The essential work of fracture (w_e) in turn increased with increasing PA6 content and behaved like tensile strength. The test speed was found to affect the fracture behavior substantially: differences between the materials were more pronounced in high-speed tensile impact tests, which revealed signs of cavitation in addition to large-scale plastic deformation for the tough PA6-rich blend compositions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 2209–2220, 1997     

Studies on impact‐modified nylon 6/ABS blends

The objective of this research is to study the effect of using maleic anhydride‐grafted polyethylene‐octene elastomer (POE‐g‐MA) as a compatibilizer on nylon 6/acrylonitile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) copolymer blends. With POE‐g‐MA, nylon 6/ABS at a blending ratio of 80/20 showed an optimal result in modified impact property. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the particle sizes of ABS in the dispersed phase diminished as the amount of the added compatibilizer (POE‐g‐MA) increased. The compatibilizer reduced the surface tension between nylon 6 and ABS, thus increasing the compatibility of the two phases. Furthermore, studies of the rheological behavior of the system showed that the shear viscosity of nylon 6/ABS blends also increased with the introduction of POE‐g‐MA. Finally, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) experiments showed that adding POE‐g‐MA dramatically improved the impact strength of the blends at room temperature and low temperatures. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2340–2345, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Studies on the incorporation of trans-polyoctenylene in polystyrene and PVC blends

trans-Polyoctenylene rubber, TOR, has been melt blended with PVC and with polystyrene, PS, in various proportions. PVC/TOR and PS/TOR blends were rigid, lending support to the claim that TOR improves dimensional stability of polymer and rubber blends. A processability study of PVC/TOR blends using a Brabender Plasti-corder showed that TOR is a suitable processing aid for PVC.