| Abstract: | The blends of epoxidized natural rubber (50 mol %) (ENR) and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (PEA) (6 wt %) are demonstrated to be partially miscible up to 50% by weight of PEA and completely miscible beyond this proportion. The miscibility has been confirmed by a DSC study which exhibits a single second-order transition (Tg) for the 30 : 70 and 50 : 50 (ENR : PEA) blends. For the 70 : 30 (ENR : PEA) blend, the Tg's shift toward an intermediate value but do not merge to form a single Tg, making the blend partially miscible. The miscibility has been assigned to the esterification reaction between – OH groups formed in situ during melt blending of ENR and – COOH groups of PEA. The occurrence of such reactions have been confirmed by UV and IR spectroscopic studies. The existence of a single phase of the blends beyond 50 wt % of PEA has been shown by SEM studies. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
