Reactive Polymer Blending

热塑性塑料的一个重要趋势是产品的增长 基于聚合物-聚合物共混物。 他们被称为“工程” 热塑性塑料因为它们具有足够高的模量， 韧性和软化温度要用同样的方法 金属被使用。大多数这些共混物是不混溶的， 通过接枝或嵌段以高度分散的形态稳定 在相之间的界面处的共聚物。 的一种方法 制备这些共聚物是通过熔融过程中的偶联反应 共混 这项研究将集中在两种不混溶聚合物的共混物， 一种刚性（玻璃化转变温度高于环境温度 温度）的其他软（玻璃化转变温度低 环境温度）。 最初，两个阶段将 性无定形 战略将是设计几种模型， 反应性聚合物对，并在一个小实验室中将它们联合收割机 熔融混合器，其复制了 工业规模工艺。 PI计划确定主要的 通过组成变化控制过程的变量， 化学、聚合物结构和链长。 扫描 和透射电子显微镜将被用作主要的 微观结构表征方法 从图像分析 在这些显微照片和单滴研究中， 与界面反应的聚结过程， 模型。 这项研究应该会产生更好的方法， 这些聚合物共混物的分析以及基本的 了解工艺和新的共混物相容性 方法和材料。

An important trend in thermoplastics is the growth of products based on polymer-polymer blends. They are called "engineered" thermoplastics because they have high enough modulus, toughness and softening temperature to be used the same way metals are used. Most of these blends are immiscible but stabilized in a highly dispersed morphology by graft or block copolymers at the interface between the phases. One way to make these copolymers is by coupling reactions during melt blending. This research will focus on blends of two immiscible polymers, one rigid (glass transition temperature greater than ambient temperature) the other soft (glass transition temperature less than ambient temperature). Initially both phases will be amorphous. The strategy will be to design several model reactive polymer pairs and combine them in a small laboratory melt mixer which duplicates the essential features of the industrial scale process. The PIs plan to identify the major variables controlling the process by changes in composition, chemistry, polymer architecture and chain length. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy will be used as the major microstructural characterization method. From image analysis on these micrographs and single drop studies, the drop break up and coalescence process with interfacial reaction will be modeled. This research should yield better methods for the analysis of these polymer blends as well as a fundamental understanding of the process and new blend compatibilizing methods and materials.