Phase separation and morphology in ethylcellulose/cellulose acetate phthalate blends

This article discusses the phase separation and morphology of ethylcellulose/cellulose acetate phthalate blended films cast from methanol/methylene chloride (50/50 v/v) solvent mixture. The solvent system has been shown to be a cosolvent for CAP and a solvent/nonsolvent for EC. The two polymers have been shown to phase separate for all blend compositions via nucleation and growth. The morphology of these systems consists of a dispersion of broad size distribution of the minor component in a matrix of the major one. The formation of two layers due to coalescence of the dispersed phases and their eventual precipitation has been observed for the middle blend compositions. Finally, the phase separation in this system is discussed in terms of the Flory–Huggins theory and changes in the solvency mechanism during film casting. Enrichment of the solvent system in methanol at relatively early stages of film casting leads to changes in the system viscosity, relative chain conformation in solution, and chain diffusion. The effect of these parameters on the final morphology are discussed in terms of deviations from the equilibrium binodal decomposition.     

Mechanical properties of cellulose acetate propionate/aliphatic polyester blends

Useful blends of cellulose esters with other higher molecular weight polymers are generally unknown. Two aliphatic polyesters, poly(tetramethylene glutarate) (PTG) and poly(tetramethylene succinate) (PTS), have been thermally compounded with cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) in the range of 10–40 wt % polyester. These blends have been injection molded, and the mechanical properties of the molded bars were compared to bars molded from CAP plasticized with a low molecular weight diester, dioctyl adipate (DOA). The CAP/aliphatic polyester blends have significantly higher tensile strengths, flexural moduli, heat deflection temperatures, and greater hardness values than the corresponding CAP/DOA blends. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation and properties of foamed cellulose acetate/polylactic acid blends

In order to improve the foaming performance of pure cellulose acetate (CA), blends were prepared by mixing polylactic acid (PLA) in CA and foamed by supercritical CO₂ (ScCO₂) in this study. The effect of PLA content (percentage by mass of blend) on structure, thermal properties, rheological properties, foaming properties and mechanical properties of the blends was investigated. The results showed that the addition of PLA destroyed the original hydrogen bonds of CA, while the blends had good crystallization properties. At the same time, compared with pure CA, the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the blends decreased, and the initial decomposition temperature (T₀) was reduced from 349.41°C (pure CA) to 334.68°C (CA/20%PLA). In addition, the rheological properties of the blends were improved, and the viscosity was reduced, which was obviously beneficial to foaming process. The pore size and density of the foamed blends both reached the maximum value at 20%PLA. The presence of PLA could degrade the mechanical properties of the blends. However, the overall drop (1.01 KJ/m²) of impact strength of the blends after foaming is much smaller than that before foaming (12.11 KJ/m²), indicating that the improvement of foaming performance was beneficial to improve its impact strength.     

Rheological and mechanical properties of compatibilized polystyrene/ethylene vinyl acetate blends

In this study, a blend of polystyrene (PS)/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) (PS/EVA, 90 : 10 wt %) was compatibilized with three different block copolymers, in which their end blocks were compatible with either styrene or EVA. The compatibilized blends with different compositions were prepared using a twin‐screw extruder and injection molded into the required test specimens. Mechanical properties of the blends, such as tensile properties and Charpy impact strength, morphology of tensile fractured surfaces, rheological properties, and thermal properties, were investigated. The results show that the interaction between the dispersed and continuous phase can be improved by the addition of a compatibilizer. Appreciable improvement in the impact strength of the blend with 15 wt % of compatibilizer C (polystyrene‐block‐polybutadiene) was observed. Its mechanical properties are comparable to those of the commercial high‐impact polystyrene, STYRON 470. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2071–2082, 2004     

Chemical crosslinking of hydroxypropyl cellulose and chitosan blends

Two liquid crystal forming polysaccharides, hydroxypropyl cellulose and chitosan, were blended in aqueous acetic acid solutions and were crosslinked with dialdehydes (glyoxal and glutaraldehyde) as crosslinker and hydrochloric acid as catalyzer. The crosslinkability, morphology, solubility, and tensile properties of the cross linked blend films are determined and the dependence of those properties on the blend composition and on crosslinker species are discussed. The crosslinked blend films cast from the aqueous acetic acid solutions were amorphous. The solubility, Young's modulus, and tensile strength of the crosslinked blend films greatly depended on blend composition; those properties appeared to exhibit a maximum and a minimum around given blend compositions. The solubility for the crosslinked blend film cast from glyoxal system was greater than that from glutaraldehyde one. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Modified polyacrylonitrile blends with cellulose acetate: Fibers' properties

Fiber forming polyacrylonitriles (PAN) were modified by copolymerizing acrylonitrile monomer with methyl acrylate (MA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AP), respectively, and blended with collulose acetate (CA). Fibers of MA-PAN, AP-PAN, and their blends with CA were wet-spun in dimethylformamide in a broad range of coagulation bath concentrations (CBC). The effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic modification of PAN and the CBC, as well as the coagulation behavior, were studied in terms of morphology, mechanical properties, and water regain property of the fibers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 1937–1946, 1997     

Rheological properties of spinning solutions for cellulose acetate ultrafiltration membranes

Addition of ethyl alcohol in the amount of 5 to 25 wt. % significantly reduces the viscosity of secondary cellulose acetate (SCA)—acetone—water spinning solutions. The effective viscosity of the spinning solutions decreases significantly when the shear stress changes. SCA membranes made from solutions with lower viscosity have higher permeability both for water and for cheese whey. The data obtained can be used to vary the performance properties of ultrafiltration membranes within wide limits. __________ Translated from Khimicheskie Volokna, No. 1, pp. 15–17, January–February, 2007.     

Production and properties of fibres from blends of polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate

Conclusions 1. The presence of CA/PAN graft copolymer increases the stability of mixtures of CA and PAN, and ternary polymerisation mixtures are more stable in solution than mechanical mixtures.2. Increasing the stability of mixtures of solutions of cellulose acetate and polyacrylonitrile improves the properties of the fibres spun from them, by enhancing their physicomechanical characteristics.All-Union Scientific Research Institute for Sugar Beet; Moscow Textile Institute. Translated from Khimicheskie Volokna, No. 2, pp. 16–18, March–April, 1969.     

Electrokinetics and stability of a cellulose acetate phthalate latex

An experimental investigation is described on the surface electric characterization of a commercially available latex, Aquateric, composed of cellulose acetate phthalate polymer particles, and used in enteric-controlled drug release. Since the surface charge of dispersed systems is an essential parameter governing most of their behavior, it is of fundamental importance to characterize how that quantity changes in the different environments in which the colloids could be used. The experimental method used in this work is electrophoresis; we report measurements of electrophoretic mobility of the latex as a function of pH and ionic concentration in the dispersion medium. It is shown that the zeta potential of the polymer particles is negative for the whole pH range studied and increases with pH as the dissociation of surface acetic acid groups proceeds. A plateau value is found for pH > 5, corresponding to complete dissociation of available ionizable sites. The values of the electrophoretic mobility (μ_e) and the zeta potential (ζ) of Aquateric are also analyzed as a function of the concentration of 1-1 (NaCl) and 2-1 (CaCl₂) concentration. The anomalous surface conductance (associated to the mobility of counterions adsorbed in the inner part of the electric double layer of the particles) manifests in a maximum in the |μ_e|-NaCl concentration plot for 10⁻³M concentration. No such behavior is observed in the presence of CaCl₂ solutions, where only a decrease of the mobility with ionic strength is observed. The effect of AlCl₃ concentration on the mobility is also considered; it is found that at pH 2 aluminum ions adsorb on the particles and render them positively charged. When the pH of the suspensions is not maintained constant, the hydrolysis of aluminum gives rise to a less efficient control of the charge of the particles and no positive mobilities are observed. Electrophoretic mobility measurements as a function of pH at constant AlCl₃ concentration show an abrupt change of μ_e from negative to positive, interpreted as due to surface precipitation of Al(OH)₃. When the pH is further increased, a second charge reversal is found, corresponding to the isoelectric point (pH of zero zeta potential) of Al(OH)₃. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 65: 2721–2726, 1997     

Rheological study on the adhesion properties of the blends of ethylene vinyl acetate/terpene phenol adhesives

Measurements of the shear, tensile, peel, and creep strength of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/CaCO₃/terpene phenol adhesive system at three different ratios [100/60/0 (EVA-O), 80/48/20 (EVA-20), and 60/36/40 (EVA-40) by weight, using wood and aluminum as adherends] were conducted. Over a wide range of temperatures and rates of deformation, adhesion shear, tensile, and peel strength results, as well as the creep response over a broad range of temperature and stresses, were found to yield a single master curve by means of the reduced-variable technique. It was observed that the peak of E′ representing Tg, shifted toward higher temperatures as the amount of terpene phenol in the blend was increased. The most obvious effect of increasing the tackifier resin was the shifting of the adhesion strength master curves to the direction of lower rates. The shift was associated with the rise in Tg as the blend ratio was increased. The influence of the tackifier resin in modifying the viscoelastic properties of the adhesive was further described in a comparison of the adhesion strength master curves with corresponding dynamic viscoelastic curves of the adhesive films. The master curves for the creep response of the adhesives showed that the stress-breaking time relationship shifts toward longer time for EVA-40 with high Tg. Thus, it was found that the strength of adhesion is due mainly to dynamic effects in the adhesive of a viscous nature in the same way to the cohesive strength of the viscoelastic materials. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 70: 409–418, 1998     

Rheological properties of carboxymethyl cellulose

This work is a complete and comprehensive study of the rheological properties of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solutions. The study was carried out using the computer controlled RheoStress RS100 system of Haake. CMC concentration in the test solutions ranged by weight from 1 to 5%. This range was sufficiently wide to reveal the nearly Newtonian behavior at the lower end of concentrations, and the definitely pseudoplastic, thixotropic, and viscoelastic behaviors of CMC solutions at the higher end of concentrations. The scope of the study included measurements of steady-state parameters, transient shear stress response, and yield stress. In addition, the thixotropic, creep recovery, and dynamic responses of solutions with high concentrations were measured. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 289–301, 1997     

Rheological and mechanical properties of PEO/block copolymer blends

Small quantities of block copolymers from two families, styrene‐butadiene‐methylmethacrylate (SBM) and methylmethacrylate‐butylacrylate‐methylmethacrylate (MAM) have been added to a polyethylene oxide (PEO) in order to improve its processability, namely increasing its elastic modulus without increasing too much its shear viscosity. The copolymers contain one block of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) that is compatible with PEO; the other blocks create nano phases, dispersed in the PEO matrix. Considerable efforts were devoted to finding the best blending method, either melt processing or solution casting. PEO is very sensitive to shear, and was found to degrade both in the bulk and in solution. Degradation, which cannot be avoided, was quantified through intrinsic viscosity measurements. The rheological characterization of blends containing 1, 2, and 5 wt% block copolymer was carried out. The elastic modulus was found to increase more than the complex viscosity. Blends obtained by solution casting technique gave better results. The elongational viscosity obtained for one blend containing 5 wt% of SBM showed a slight increase with respect to the pure PEO. Mechanical properties were then investigated, through tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis in flexion and in torsion; the copolymer generally enhanced the mechanical properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1385–1394, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Rheological properties of corona modified cellulose/polyethylene composites

The rheological behavior of wood fiber/polyethylene composites made of corona treated constituents was investigated. Corona treatment of one or both of the constituents resulted in decreased melt viscosities relative to compounds containing untreated materials. The reduction of melt viscosity may originate from low molecular weight moieties formed on the surfaces of both polyethylene and cellulose during corona treatment. These may act as lubricants at interfaces. Also it was found that the corona treatment of fibers leads to higher packing volumes; this may result from a reduction in fiber length when treated fibers are processed under high shear conditions. As a result these fibers perturb the normal flow pattern in the melt to a lesser degree than the longer fibers of untreated cellulose.     

Thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of hydroxypropyl cellulose films

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) were used to characterize the morphology of solvent cast hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) films. DSC results were indicative of a semicrystalline material with a melt at 220°C and a glass transition at 19°C (T₁), although an additional event was suggested by a baseline inflection at about 80°C (T₂). Corresponding relaxations were found by DMTA. A secondary relaxation at ?55°C was attributed to the interaction between hydroxyl groups of the polymer and residual diluent. The tan δ peak at T₂ was found to arise from an organized phase, presumably from a liquid-crystal mesophase formed while in solution. Crosslinking with a diisocyanate increased the peak temperature of the two primary relaxations, and resulted in a more clearly defined peak for the T₂ transition. From this behavior it was concluded that both T₁ and T₂ are similar to glass transitions (T_g's) associated with an amorphous component and a more highly ordered phase (due to a residual liquid crystal superstructure) in the HPC bulk.     

Rheological properties of collagen/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (COL/HPMC) blended solutions

Collagen/HPMC blends with different HPMC content (HC) were investigated by dynamic responses, creep recovery, thixotropy, and morphological observation. Storage modulus, loss modulus, complex viscosity, and activation energy decreased with the increased HC, while the flow behavior index increased with the increased HC and the dynamic denaturation temperature reached the maximum as HC increased to 50%, indicating that the flowability and thermal stability of collagen solution were improved by the addition of HPMC. However, the blends with higher HC tended to have a relatively lower recovery capacity, and the hysteresis loop areas of the blends were lower than that of collagen (especially when HC > 50%). Additionally, the morphology of collagen/HPMC was examined by both of atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. By combining with these results, it seemed that the rheological and structural properties of collagen/HPMC were related to the hydrogen‐bond interaction and compatibility between collagen and HPMC molecules. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40042.     

Rheological and drag reduction properties of hydroxypropyl xanthan gum solutions☆

Hydroxypropyl xanthan gum (HXG) was prepared from xanthan gum (XG) and propylene oxide under alkaline condition. Rheological and drag reduction properties of different concentrations of aqueous HXG and XG solution were studied. The micro-structure network of HXG and XG solutions was investigated by Cryo-FESEM. The re-sults showed that HXG and XG solutions could exhibit shear thinning property. The apparent viscosity of 6 g·L?1 HXG solution was 1.25 times more than that of 6 g·L?1 XG solution. The storage modulus G′and the loss modulus G″of HXG solutions were greater than those of XG solutions, and thixotropic and viscoelastic prop-erties were more significant in HXG solutions. The HXG and XG solutions reduced the pressure drop of straight pipe, and the maximum drag reduction of 1 g·L?1 HXG and XG in smooth tube reached 72.8%and 68.1%, respec-tively. Drag reduction rate was increased as the concentration increased. The HXG solution may become a new polymeric drag reducer.     

The interactions and partitioning of low molecular weight polyethylene glycols and diethyl phthalate in ethylcellulose/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose blends

The interactions and partitioning of diethyl phthalate and low molecular weight polyethylene-glycols in blends of ethylcellulose/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose have been studied. Both plasticizers were shown to diffuse in both phases according to the overall volume composition. The plasticizers interacted preferentially with one polymer component of the blend as predicted from studies of the individual polymers. Diethyl phthalate, a preferential plasticizer for ethylcellulose, demonstrated increased partitioning in the ethylcellulose-rich phase only at 80/20 w/w ethylcellulose/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose compositions. Polyethylene glycols, PEG200 and PEG400, preferential plasticizers for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, showed increased partitioning in the hydroxypropyl-methycellulose-rich phase also in blends containing 80% w/w ethylcellulose. The general effect of the mechanism and kinetics of the phase separation of the blend on the plasticizer partitioning has also been discussed.     

Structure and physical properties of cellulose acetate/poly(butylene succinate) blends containing a transition metal alkoxide

Two biodegradable polymers, that is, poly(butylene succinate) (BN) and cellulose acetate (CA), were solvent‐cast blended with chloroform. Homogeneous films were obtained from the blend by the addition of tetraisopropyl titanate (TP) as a compatibilizer. We measured the viscosity of the blend solution to investigate the function of TP during the blending process. From the measurement, we conclude that there are interactions among TP, BN, and CA. From optical observation and thermal measurements of the blend films, we found that the structure of blends is in a pseudostable state and that the addition of TP makes the structure units small. From thermogravimetric analyses, we found that the addition of TP decreases the thermal decomposition temperature of the BN/CA blends. From the measurements of mechanical properties of the blends, we found that changing the blend ratio can produce the materials with a wide range of mechanical properties. The hydrolysis of the blends was investigated. The molecular scission of BN/CA blends takes place uniformly not only from the outside but also from the inside of the films. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1750–1758, 2002