Polymer, Vol.36, No.6, 1243-1252, 1995
Compatibilization Effect of a Block-Copolymer in 2 Random Copolymer Blends
The stability limit and spinodal points of a multicomponent polymer system have been studied with the structure factors, S-ij(q), which were obtained using the random phase approximation and incompressibility constraint. Emphasis was placed on the effect of the volume fraction of component A,f(I), in a block copolymer, A-block-B, on the spinodal points for macrophase separation of an (A-block-B)(B-ran-C)/(A-ran-D) mixture. The behaviour of the spinodal point for macrophase separation, and thus the compatibilization effect, depends very much on f(I) for given weight fractions of the two homopolymers (or a homopolymer and a random copolymer). The spinodal points of microphase transitions in addition to those of macrophase separation are also discussed.
Keywords:MULTICOMPONENT POLYMER SYSTEMS;MEAN-FIELD-THEORY;POLY(2;6-DIMETHYL-1;4-PHENYLENE ETHER);PHASE-BEHAVIOR;POLY(STYRENE-CO-ACRYLONITRILE);POLYSTYRENE;ALLOYS;AGENTS;OXIDE)