Effect of Nanoclay on the Phase Separation Behavior of Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Poly(vinyl acetate) Binary Polymer Blends附视频

The effect of nanoclay on the phase-separation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl acetate)(PMMA/PVAc) blends has been mainly investigated by small-angle laser light scattering. It is found that the effect of clay on the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase-separation for PMMA/PVAc blends seems inconsistent. The kinetics phaseseparation rate decreases, while the thermodynamics parameters, cloud points Tc and delay time tD of isothermal phaseseparation also decrease, and the variation amplitude depends on the matrix composition. The affinity of clay to PMMA results in the composition difference between the border layer and the polymer matrix and further causes the concentration fluctuation at the early stage of phase separation to reduce Tc and tD. On the other hand, the decrease of phase-separation rate is caused by the mechanical barrier effect of clay on the macromolecular diffusion of blend matrix. Hence, such seemingly counterintuitive results on the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase-separation are attributed to different dominant factors.