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Interfacial activity of reactive compatibilizers in polymer blends

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Abstract

The influence of a reactive block copolymer compatibilizer on the breakup of polymer fibers in the quiescent conditions is investigated using the breaking thread method (BTM). The compatibilizer is either localized at the interface of two polymers or incorporated in the bulk of thread phase. Moreover, the nominal interfacial tension between two polymers is estimated as a function of compatibilizer concentration for both types of samples using Tomotika theory. It is shown that assembling of compatibilizer molecules at the interface of two immiscible polymers can result in very different dynamic of thread breakup compared to samples containing the compatibilizer in the bulk phase. We observe a reduction in the rate of thread breakup (kinetic of stabilization) when compatibilizer is incorporated in the bulk of thread phase. Such effect is more significant when compatibilizer is localized at the interface of two fluids. Additionally, the mode of thread breakup is sensitive to the compatibilizer location since a beads-on-a-string (BOAS) morphology is observed when compatibilizer is localized at the interface. In conclusion, the usual attribution of interfacial activity of compatibilizer in polymer blends may be originated from their random presence at the interface rather than thermodynamically favored diffusion to the interface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Polymer Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, P.O. Box:15875-4413, Tehran, Iran

    Fereshteh Karkhaneh-Yousefi & Fatemeh Goharpey

  2. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30001, MSC 3805, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    Reza Foudazi

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  1. Fereshteh Karkhaneh-Yousefi
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  2. Fatemeh Goharpey
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  3. Reza Foudazi
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Correspondence to Fatemeh Goharpey or Reza Foudazi.

Appendix

Appendix

The zero-shear viscosity, η 0 (Pa.s), of PA6 is predicted as a function of temperature (K) and number-averaged molecular weight, Mn (g/mol) as follows (Seavey and Liu 2009):

$$ {\eta}_{0,i}(T)={A}_i{\left(2{M}_n\right)}^{3.4}\exp \left(-\frac{E_i}{R_gT}\right) $$
(A-1)

where Ai and Ei are 1.742E-10 Pa.s/(g/mol)3.4 and 36 kJ/mol, respectively. Rg is the ideal gas constant and T is absolute temperature. As mentioned in “Materials” section, the zero-shear viscosity of used PA6 is 242 Pa.s at 240 °C. Therefore, its number-averaged molecular weight is estimated to be ~ 22,000 g/mol.

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Karkhaneh-Yousefi, F., Goharpey, F. & Foudazi, R. Interfacial activity of reactive compatibilizers in polymer blends. Rheol Acta 56, 851–862 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-017-1034-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-017-1034-z

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