Polymer blend particles with dual-phase morphology prepared using a novel one-pot method via a phase inversion emulsion procedure

We develop a new method for preparing polymer blend particles with dual-phase morphology based on a phase inversion emulsion process. Using this method, the polystyrene (PS)/ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer particles were prepared and analyzed. The preparation procedure included a emulsification of liquid styrene monomer with dissolved EVA and a following free radical polymerization to convert the monomer droplets into solid blend particles.The obtained PS/EVA particles had a dual-phase morphology. With increasing EVA content, the structure of EVA dispersed in PS matrix switched from spherical, stripe to nearly co-continuous morphology and the particles become significantly tougher and the maximum impact strength reached 9.13 KJ/m2. This method provides the opportunity to prepare a number of new kinds of polymer blend particles with tailored performance even though the composed polymers are condensation polymers or unreachable at atmospheric pressure.