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The effect of anisometry of dispersed droplets on their coalescence during annealing of polymer blends

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Abstract

Approximate theory of van der Waals forces-induced coalescence in polymer blends containing anisometric droplets at the coalescence origin was derived. The results were compared with the phase structure evolution during annealing polypropylene/cyclic olefin copolymer (PP/COC) (70/30) blends with highly anisometric dispersed particles. The droplet anisometry caused a decrease in the distance between a droplet and its nearest neighbor, 〈h〉, for systems with randomly arranged centers of the droplets and relaxation of the droplet shape affected the approach of coalescing droplets. The results showed that the droplet anisometry remarkably influenced 〈h〉 and, consequently, maximum volume fraction of droplets for which the removal of the continuous phase trapped between the droplets was the decisive step of the coalescence. On the other hand, our calculations confirmed that the course of the coalescence was only slightly affected by the droplet anisometry in blends where 〈h〉 at the coalescence origin was substantially larger than the critical distance for rupture of the continuous phase between the droplets, h c. Also, orientation of anisometric droplets in these systems played a minor role. Experimental data from PP/COC blends with highly elongated COC particles were in agreement with the theoretical calculations: particles retracted rapidly to spherical shape during the first 5 min of the annealing, while their volume increased slowly due to the coalescence during the whole time.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (grant No. IAA200500903) and of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (grant no. 106/09/P272).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry AS CR, v. v. i., Heyrovského nám. 2, 162 06, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Ivan Fortelný, Josef Jůza, Taťana Vacková & Miroslav Šlouf

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  1. Ivan Fortelný
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  2. Josef Jůza
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  3. Taťana Vacková
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  4. Miroslav Šlouf
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Correspondence to Ivan Fortelný.

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ESM 1

Derivation of the equation for time evolution of average inter-droplet distance in a system of coalescing anisometric droplets (DOC 66 kb)

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Fortelný, I., Jůza, J., Vacková, T. et al. The effect of anisometry of dispersed droplets on their coalescence during annealing of polymer blends. Colloid Polym Sci 289, 1895–1903 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-011-2507-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-011-2507-8

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