Poly(butylene succinate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blends. Part 1. Miscibility and crystallization

Miscibility has been investigated in blends of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) by differential scanning calorimetry in this work. PBSU is miscible with PVPh as shown by the existence of single composition dependent glass transition temperature over the entire composition range. In addition, the polymer–polymer interaction parameter, obtained from the melting depression of PBSU using the Nishi–Wang equation, is composition dependent, and its value is always negative. This indicates that PBSU/PVPh blends are thermodynamically miscible in the melt. Preliminary morphology study of PBSU/PVPh blends was also studied by optical microscopy (OM). OM experiments show the spherulites of PBSU become larger with the PVPh content, indicative of a decrease in the nucleation density, and the coarseness of PBSU spherulites increases too with increasing the PVPh content in the blends.     

Miscibility and crystallization in crystalline/crystalline blends of poly(butylene succinate)/poly(ethylene oxide)

Miscibility and crystallization behavior have been investigated in blends of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), both semicrystalline polymers, by differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. Experimental results indicate that PBSU is miscible with PEO as shown by the existence of single composition dependent glass transition temperature over the entire composition range. In addition, the polymer-polymer interaction parameter, obtained from the melting depression of the high-T_m component PBSU using the Flory-Huggins equation, is composition dependent, and its value is always negative. This indicates that PBSU/PEO blends are thermodynamically miscible in the melt. The morphological study of the isothermal crystallization at 95 °C (where only PBSU crystallized) showed the similar crystallization behavior as in amorphous/crystalline blends. Much more attention has been paid to the crystallization and morphology of the low-T_m component PEO, which was studied through both one-step and two-step crystallization. It was found that the crystallization of PEO was affected clearly by the presence of the crystals of PBSU formed through different crystallization processes. The two components crystallized sequentially not simultaneously when the blends were quenched from the melt directly to 50 °C (one-step crystallization), and the PEO spherulites crystallized within the matrix of the crystals of the preexisted PBSU phase. Crystallization at 95 °C followed by quenching to 50 °C (two-step crystallization) also showed the similar crystallization behavior as in one-step crystallization. However, the radial growth rate of the PEO spherulites was reduced significantly in two-step crystallization than in one-step crystallization.     

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of biodegradable blends of two aliphatic polyesters. Poly(butylene succinate) and Poly(ε-caprolactone)

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blends, both biodegradable chemosynthetic semicrystalline polyesters, were prepared with the ratio of PBSU/PCL ranging from 80/20 to 20/80 by co-dissolving the two polyesters in chloroform and casting the mixture. The miscibility and crystallization behavior of PBSU/PCL blends were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. Experimental results indicated that PBSU was immiscible with PCL as evidenced by the composition independent glass transition temperature and the biphasic melt. However, during the crystallization from the melt at a given cooling rate, the crystallization peak temperature of PBSU in the blends decreased slightly with the increase of PCL, while that of PCL in the blends first increased and then decreased with the increase of PBSU. Moreover, both the crystallization peak temperature of PBSU and PCL shifted to the low temperature range with the increase of the cooling rate for a given blend composition. Double melting peaks or one main melting peak with a shoulder were found for both PBSU and PCL after the complete crystallization cooled from the melt, and were ascribed to the melting-recrystallization mechanism. It was found that the subsequent melting behavior of PBSU/PCL blends was influenced apparently by the blend composition and the cooling rate used.     

Miscibility and crystallization of poly(ethylene succinate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blends

Miscibility of biodegradable poly(ethylene succinate) (PES)/poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) blends has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in this work. PES is found to be miscible with PVPh as shown by the existence of single composition dependent glass transition temperature over the entire composition range. Spherulitic morphology and the growth rates of neat and blended PES were investigated by optical microscopy (OM). Both neat and blended PES show a maximum growth rate value in the crystallization temperature range of 45-65 °C, with the growth rate of neat PES being higher than that of blended PES at the same crystallization temperature. The overall crystallization kinetics of neat and blended PES was also studied by DSC and analyzed by the Avrami equation at 60 and 65 °C. The crystallization rate decreases with increasing the temperature for both neat and blended PES. The crystallization rate of blended PES is lower than that of neat PES at the same crystallization temperature. However, the Avrami exponent n is almost the same despite the blend composition and crystallization temperature, indicating that the addition of PVPh does not change the crystallization mechanism of PES but only lowers the crystallization rate.     

Miscibility and crystallization behaviour of biodegradable blends of two aliphatic polyesters. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) and poly(butylene succinate) blends

Blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU), both biodegradable semicrystalline polyesters, were prepared with the ratio of PHBV/PBSU ranging from 80/20 to 20/80 by co-dissolving the two polyesters in chloroform and casting the mixture. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical microscopy (OM) were used to study the miscibility and crystallization behaviour of PHBV/PBSU blends. Experimental results indicate that PHBV is immiscible with PBSU as shown by the almost unchanged glass transition temperature and the biphasic melt. Crystallization of PHBV/PBSU blends was studied by DSC using two-step crystallization and analyzed by the Avrami equation. The crystallization rate of PHBV decreases with the increase of PBSU in the blends while the crystallization mechanism does not change. In the case of the isothermal crystallization of PBSU, the crystallization mechanism does not change. The crystallization rate of PBSU in the blends is lower than that of neat PBSU; however, the change in the crystallization rate of PBSU was not so big in the blends. The different content of the PHBV in the blends does not make a significant difference in the crystallization rate of PBSU.     

Crystallization kinetics and morphology of poly(butylene succinate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blend

Biodegradable crystalline poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) can form miscible polymer blends with amorphous poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh). The isothermal crystallization kinetics and morphology of neat and blended PBSU with PVPh were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in this work. The overall isothermal crystallization kinetics of neat and blended PBSU was studied with DSC in the crystallization temperature range of 80-88 °C and analyzed by applying the Avrami equation. It was found that blending with PVPh did not change the crystallization mechanism of PBSU, but reduced the crystallization rate compared with that of neat PBSU at the same crystallization temperature. The crystallization rate decreased with increasing crystallization temperature, while the crystallization mechanism did not change for both neat and blended PBSU irrespective of the crystallization temperature. The spherulitic morphology and growth were observed with hot stage OM in a wide crystallization temperature range of 75-100 °C. The spherulitic morphology of PBSU was influenced apparently by the crystallization temperature and the addition of PVPh. The linear spherulitic growth rate was measured and analyzed by the secondary nucleation theory. Through the Lauritzen-Hoffman equation, some parameters of neat and blended PBSU were derived and compared with each other including the nucleation parameter (K_g), the lateral surface free energy (σ), the end-surface free energy (σ_e), and the work of chain folding (q). Blending with PVPh decreased all the aforementioned parameters compared with those of neat PBSU; however, the decrease extent was limited. WAXD result showed that the crystal structure of PBSU was not modified after blending with PVPh. SAXS result showed that the long period of blended PBSU increased, possibly indicating that the amorphous PVPh might reside mainly in the interlamellar region of PBSU.     

Miscibility and crystallization of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ε-caprolactone) blends

Blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), both semicrystalline polymers, were prepared by co-dissolving the two polyesters in chloroform and casting the mixture. Phase contrast microscopy was used to probe the miscibility of PEOB/PCL blends. Experimental results indicated that PEO was immiscible with PCL because the melt was biphasic. Crystallization of PEO/PCL blends was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and analyzed by the Avrami equation. The crystallization rate of PEO decreased with the increase of PCL in the blends while the crystallization mechanism did not change. In the case of the isothermal crystallization of PCL, the crystallization mechanism did not change, and the change in the crystallization rate was not very big, or almost constant with the addition of PEO, compared with the change of the crystallization rate of PEO.     

Melting behaviour of poly(butylene succinate) in miscible blends with poly(ethylene oxide)

The melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) in miscible blends with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), which is a newly found polymer blends of two crystalline polymers by our group, has been investigated by conventional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that PBSU showed double melting behavior after isothermal crystallization from the melt under certain crystallization conditions, which was explained by the model of melting, recrystallization and remelting. The influence of the blend composition, crystallization temperature and scanning rate on the melting behavior of PBSU has been studied extensively. With increasing any of the PEO composition, crystallization temperature and scanning rate, the recrystallization of PBSU was inhibited. Furthermore, temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) was also employed in this work to investigate the melting behavior of PBSU in PBSU/PEO blends due to its advantage in the separation of exotherms (including crystallization and recrystallization) from reversible meltings (including the melting of the crystals originally existed prior to the DSC scan and the melting of the crystals formed through the recrystallization during the DSC scan). The TMDSC experiments gave a direct evidence of this melting, recrystallization and remelting model to explain the multiple melting behavior of PBSU in PBSU/PEO blends.     

Kinetics of nucleation and crystallization in poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites

Differential fast scanning calorimetry (DFSC) was employed on poly(butylene succinate) nanocomposites containing silver nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), in order to identify the temperature range of heterogeneous nucleation caused by both nanofillers. The fast scanning rates also allow investigating self-nucleation by recrystallization experiments approaching the crystallization temperature from low temperatures. The recrystallization behavior of PBSu and its nanocomposites is distinct from all other polymers studied so far as only the previously crystallized part of the material is able to recrystallize, independently on the available large number of nuclei. Since full melting of small crystals at low temperatures is observed this highlights the importance of ordered structures remaining in the polymer melt. On cooling from the melt the neat polymer did not crystallize at rates higher than 70 K/s, while the nanocomposites needed rates of 500 K/s and 300 K/s for silver and MWCNT, respectively. Below 280 K the crystallization kinetics of the matrix was almost the same with the nanocomposite samples. The nucleation mechanism changes at 280 K from heterogeneous to homogeneous. The study further confirms that below the glass transition nucleation and crystallization appears only after approaching the enthalpy value of the extrapolated supercooled liquid by enthalpy relaxation.     

聚丁二酸丁二醇酯/聚乙二醇硬脂酸酯共混物非等温结晶行为

以聚丁二酸丁二醇酯（PBS）和聚乙二醇硬脂酸酯（PEOST）为原料,采用溶液共混法制备了PEOST质量分数分别为10%（POS-10）和30%（POS-30）的两种合金材料。通过差示扫描量热法（DSC）研究了合金材料的非等温结晶行为,用莫志深（Mo）法分析了PBS的非等温结晶动力学,采用Kissinger法和Friedman法计算PBS的结晶活化能,并用红外（FTIR）和偏光显微镜（POM）进行表征。研究结果表明：PBS先结晶形成结晶微区不利于PEOST结晶,而较高含量的PEOST有利于PBS的结晶。受PBS先结晶的影响,POS-10降温DSC曲线没有出现PEOST的结晶峰,而POS-30在低的降温速率情况下出现了PEOST双结晶峰;升温DSC曲线中两试样均出现了PEOST的熔融峰。在相同的冷却速率下,POS-30的PEOST熔融温度（T_m）和熔融焓（△H_m）大于POS-10;POS-30的PBS结晶峰温度（T_p）、结晶焓（△H_c）大于POS-10,而结晶半峰宽（D）值更小;但两者的T_m和△H_m相当。随冷却速率的增加,PBS的D值增大,而PEOST的D值却降低;冷却速率的增加对PBS的T_m值影响不大,但使PEOST的T_m略有减小。Mo法适合用于共混物中PBS的非等温结晶动力学分析。POS-30的PBS绝对值结晶活化能要大于POS-10。POS-30在红外光谱谱图中出现了PEOST结晶的红外响应峰（1109cm^-1和841cm^-1）而POS-10没有。     

Dielectric spectroscopy of poly(butylene succinate) films

Dielectric properties of poly(butylene succinate) crystallized under different conditions have been reported in the temperature range of 163-383 K and in the frequency range of 0.01-10⁵ Hz. Both the dipolar α and β processes have been identified at low temperatures: the α process is associated with the amorphous fraction while the β with the relaxations in both the amorphous and crystalline fractions. The space charge effect dominates the high temperature dielectric spectra. These spectra have been analyzed in the light of an equivalent circuit model. The Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization, electrode polarization and free charge motion are well resolved. At 383 K, near the melting temperature (387 K), massive melting and subsequent recrystallization have been observed. The peculiar evolution of the spectra is also analyzed using the same equivalent circuit model. The relationship between the fitting parameters and the evolved microstructures is discussed.     

Morphology and hydrogen‐bond restricted crystallization of poly(butylene succinate)/cellulose diacetate blends

Poly(butylene succinate)/cellulose diacetate (PBS/CDA) blends were prepared by the solution blending method from poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and cellulose diacetate (CDA). The influence of hydrogen bond on the structure, morphology, crystallization, as well as the physical properties of PBS/CDA blends was significantly investigated. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicated that the carbonyl groups of PBS shifted to higher wavenumbers and disappeared at the content of 60% CDA, due to the formation of hydrogen bond between PBS and CDA. The wide‐angle X‐ray diffractometer (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis suggest that the crystallization of PBS was significantly restricted by the incorporation of CDA, which is also attributed to the hydrogen bonding. The scanning electron miscroscope (SEM) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) results revealed that PBS and CDA were miscible without appearance of obvious phase separation. The hydrogen bonding interaction led to the change of decomposing mechanism of blends as determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), as well as the increase of the elongation at break due to the reduced crystallinity of PBS. The existence of CDA led to the decrease of water contact angle, showing of the improved hydrophilicity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Characterization of extruded films based on poly (butylene succinate) blends to utilize a partially degraded poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)

Polymer blends can improve material processability and can be used to extrude partially degraded materials, such as expired poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), which cannot be normally extruded. Therefore, in this study, the extrudability of PBAT that has passed its expiration date was restored by blending it with poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). Various polymer blends were extruded and characterized to achieve high-efficiency extrusion. The carbonyl indices in partially degraded PBAT and the corresponding control sample detailed the effects of 98 months of aging on molecular properties. The semicrystalline structure consisted of a mixed ordered arrangement of PBS and PBAT chains dispersed in an amorphous matrix. The microscopic images of the surfaces of the polymer films revealed defects and roughness, followed by an increase in the PBAT concentration in blends. Changes in mechanical properties and water vapor permeability correlated with the PBAT concentration in the blends. To avoid polymer loss, we reported a simple method for using PBAT that has passed its expiration date and cannot be extruded. The results revealed that the polymer films could be used in the packaging industry, especially in food and agricultural sectors.     

Miscibility and crystallization of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blends

Miscibility, crystallization kinetics, crystal structure, and microstructure of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA)/poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy, wide angle X-ray diffraction, and small angle X-ray scattering in detail in this work. PBSA and PVPh are miscible as evidenced by the single composition dependent glass transition temperature and the negative polymer-polymer interaction parameter. Isothermal crystallization kinetics of PBSA/PVPh blends was investigated and analyzed by the Avrami equation. The overall crystallization rates of PBSA decrease with increasing crystallization temperature and the PVPh content in the PBSA/PVPh blends; however, the crystallization mechanism of PBSA does not change in the blends. Furthermore, blending with PVPh does not modify the crystal structure of PBSA. The microstructural parameters, including the long period, thickness of crystalline phase and thickness of amorphous phase, all become larger with increasing the PVPh content, indicating that PVPh mainly resides in the interlamellar region of PBSA spherulites in the blends.     

Fractional Crystallization Kinetics of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Its Blends with Poly(butylene succinate): Molecular Weight Effects

The fractional crystallization kinetics and phase behavior of PEO with different molecular weights (MWs) in its miscible crystalline/crystalline blends with PBS are studied. Both fractional crystallization kinetics and phase segregation of PEO in PBS/PEO blends are dramatically influenced by its MW. PEO with a medium MW (20 kDa) shows a significant fractional crystallization in the blends with PBS crystallized at a high T_IC,PBS, which, however, is dramatically depressed in the blends with a very low or high MW of PEO. This indicates that the PEO component with a medium MW is more ready to segregate into the interlamellar region of PBS crystals than those with a very low or high MW. The MW‐dependent fractional crystallization kinetics and phase segregation of PEO component in the PBS/PEO blends are discussed.

     

Effect of Organoclay on the Morphology and Properties of Poly(propylene)/Poly[(butylene succinate)‐co‐adipate] Blends

The effect of organically modified clay on the morphology and properties of poly(propylene) (PP) and poly[(butylene succinate)‐co‐adipate] (PBSA) blends is studied. Virgin and organoclay modified blends were prepared by melt‐mixing of PP, PBSA and organoclay in a batch‐mixer at 190 °C. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed a significant change in morphology of PP/PBSA blend in the presence of organoclay. The state of dispersion of silicate layers in the blend matrix was characterized by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic observations. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed substantial improvement in flexural storage modulus of organoclay‐modified blends with respect to the neat polymer matrices or unmodified blends. Tensile properties of virgin blends also improved in the presence of organoclay. Thermal stability of virgin blends in air atmosphere dramatically improved after modification with organoclay. The effect of organoclay on the melt‐state liner viscoelastic properties of virgin blends was also studied. The non‐isothermal crystallization behavior of homopolymers, virgin, and organoclay‐modified blends were studied by differential scanning calorimeter. The effect of incorporation of organoclay on the cold crystallization behavior of PP/PBSA blends is also reported.

     

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of biodegradable blends of two aliphatic polyesters. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) and poly(ε-caprolactone)

Biodegradable polymer blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) blends were prepared with the ratio of PHBV/PCL ranging from 80/20-20/80 by co-dissolving the two polyesters in chloroform and casting the mixture. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical microscopy (OM) were used to investigate the miscibility and crystallization of PHBV/PCL blends. Experimental results indicated that PHBV showed no miscibility with PCL for PHBV/PCL blends as evidenced by the existence of unchanged composition independent glass transition temperature and the biphasic melt. Crystallization of PHBV and PCL was studied with DSC and analyzed by the Avrami equation by using two-step crystallization in the PHBV/PCL blends. The crystallization rate of PHBV at 70 °C decreased with the increase of PCL in the blends, while the crystallization mechanism did not change. In the case of the isothermal crystallization of PCL at 42 °C, the crystallization rate increased with the addition of PHBV, and the crystallization mechanism changed, too, indicating that the crystallization of PHBV at 70 °C had an apparent influence on the crystallization of PCL at 42 °C.     

Phase behavior and morphology in blends of poly(L‐lactic acid) and poly(butylene succinate)

Blends of poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) were prepared with various compositions by a melt‐mixing method and the phase behavior, miscibility, and morphology were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, small‐angle X‐ray scattering techniques, and polarized optical microscopy. The blend system exhibited a single glass transition over the entire composition range and its temperature decreased with an increasing weight fraction of the PBS component, but this depression was not significantly large. The DSC thermograms showed two distinct melting peaks over the entire composition range, indicating that these materials was classified as semicrystalline/semicrystalline blends. A depression of the equilibrium melting point of the PLA component was observed and the interaction parameter between PLA and PBS showed a negative value of ?0.15, which was derived using the Flory–Huggins equation. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed that, in the blend system, the PBS component was expelled out of the interlamellar regions of PLA, which led to a significant decrease of a long‐period, amorphous layer thickness of PLA. For more than a 40% PBS content, significant crystallization‐induced phase separation was observed by polarized optical microscopy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 647–655, 2002     

DSC and TMDSC study of melting behaviour of poly(butylene succinate) and poly(ethylene succinate)

The subsequent melting behaviour of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(ethylene succinate) (PES) was investigated using DSC and temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) after they finished nonisothermal crystallization from the melt. PBSU exhibited two melting endotherms in the DSC traces upon heating to the melt, which was ascribed to the melting and recrystallization mechanism. However, one melting endotherm with one shoulder and one crystallization exotherm just prior to the melting endotherm were found for PES. The crystallization exotherm was ascribed to the recrystallization of the melt of the crystallites with low thermal stability, and the shoulder was considered to be the melting endotherm of the crystallites with high thermal stability. The final melting endotherm was ascribed to the melting of the crystallites formed through the reorganization of the crystallites with high thermal stability during the DSC heating process. TMDSC experiments gave the direct evidences to support the proposed models to explain the melting behaviour of PBSU and PES crystallized nonisothermally from the melt.     

Miscibilities and rheological properties of poly(butylene succinate)–Poly(butylene terephthalate) blends

An aliphatic/aromatic polyester blend has been dealt with in this study. As an aliphatic polyester, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was used, which is thought to possess biodegradability, but it is relatively expensive. It has been blended with poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) in order to obtain a biodegradable blend with better mechanical properties and lower cost. The miscibilities of PBS–PBT blends were examined not only from the changes of T_g but also from log G′–log G" plots. Dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA) was an appropriate, sensitive method to obtain the glass transitions properly. Thermal stabilities of PBS and PBT were also verified at the temperature of 240°C. A transesterification reaction between two polyesters at 240°C was hardly detectable so that it did not affect the miscibilities and properties of the blends. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 945–951, 1999