POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE) BLENDS WITH CROSS-LINKING POLYESTER RESIN

The miscibility of polyethylene oxide (PEO) with oligoester and polyester resin, the morphology of the blends and the kinetics of PEO crystallization in the blends were studied by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The blends were found to be miscible with uncured resin at 60-degrees-C. After isothermal crystallization of PEO from liquid oligoester or UV cured polyester about 20% of the PEO material is still dissolved in the resin and it is incorporated between lamellae or in the interspherulitic regions. It was observed that the growth rate of PEO spherulites and the degree of crystallinity of PEO in the blends decreases very fast together with a decrease of the PEO content and the progress of the resin crosslinking.