화학공학소재연구정보센터
Macromolecules, Vol.30, No.4, 973-981, 1997
Domain Shape Transitions in Emulsified Polyolefin Blends
The shape of dispersed domains in emulsified polyolefin blends was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Model polyolefins-polyethylene (PE), head-to-head polypropylene (PP), and PE-PP diblock copolymers-were synthesized via anionic polymerization. Ternary blends with PE as the minor component were studied at 200 degrees C. All components are amorphous at this temperature. We find that increasing phi(PE-PP)/phi(PE) at constant phi(PE-PP) + phi(PE) leads to an abrupt transition from spherical domains to cell-like domains with faceted walls (where phi(i) is the volume fraction of component i). However, the cell-like domains were aggregated and formed large macrophases. The characteristic size of the domain-rich phase was considerably larger than the size of the PE droplets formed in the absence of the block copolymer. This indicates strong adhesive interactions between the cell-like domains. Current theories on emulsified polymer blends ignore interdomain interactions.