Publication

Abstract : The effect of processing conditions on the morphology of polymer blends is a topic of tremendous practical interest especially for thermoset-thermoplastic blends. The effect of blend ratio and the nature of the flow field (shear flow vs. elongation flow) on the morphology is followed here using blends of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT). Morphology of the blends prepared by the conventional melt mixing technique is compared with that prepared by using an elongation mixer (RMX device invented by Muller et al.). The blends prepared by the elongation mixer showed excellent transparency and higher storage modulus at room temperature than the conventional mixer. In the case of samples prepared by the RMX device Tg of the epoxy phase has been shifted to lower temperatures indicating a molecular level mixing between PTT and DGEBA. However the conventional melt mixed samples showed only a marginal shift in Tg to low temperatures indicating that the system is not as miscible as that prepared by the RMX device. The use of RMX device for thermoset-thermoplastic blends is novel and no work has been reported in this relation. The properties of the blends were strongly affected by the composition and the crystallization of the semicrystalline PTT phase.