Rheological characterization of interfacial reaction in reactive polymer blends

Summary An original method has been developped which allows to study the influence of chain diffusion on the reaction kinetics in reactive polymer blends. Blends with controlled multilayer morphologies were directly prepared in a rotational rheometer and time-dependent dynamic mechanical measurements allowed to follow the progress of the reaction. Model miscible copolymers with different acrylic monomers were prepared for this study by controlling the composition, molecular weight and average number of reactive groups per chain. Reduced variables for the modulus and the reaction time were introduced to compare the results obtained for different concentrations of reactive groups. In comparison to homogeneous blends, the normalized results for the multilayered structures show that the extent of the reaction depends directly on the chain length and is thus controlled by chain diffusion.