Abstract
The work focuses on the detection of the co-continuity window in immiscible polymer blends. The purpose of the paper is to describe how rheological techniques can help to evaluate the composition range of the co-continuous morphology through the study of a particular system: PEO/PVDF-HFP. First, the blends were characterized by selective dissolution experiments and SEM observations. Then the ability of dynamic mechanical spectroscopy to detect the co-continuity was investigated in the melt and in the solid state. The evolution of the storage modulus of molten blends with their composition at a constant low frequency gives information about the co-continuity interval, especially as far as the onset of the continuity of the PEO phase is concerned. Then the immiscibility of the polymers and the continuity of PVDF-HFP as a function of blend composition have been highlighted by means of dynamic mechanical spectrometry below the melting point of PVDF-HFP. Comparison with results from classical methods shows fair agreement.
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Chaput, S., Carrot, C., Castro, M. et al. Co-continuity interval in immiscible polymer blends by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy in the molten and solid state. Rheol Acta 43, 417–426 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-004-0369-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-004-0369-4