Solution and solid-state NMR investigation of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) blends

The development of polymer blends has become very important for the polymer industry because these blends have shown to be a successful and versatile alternative way to obtain a new polymer. In this study, binary blends formed by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) were prepared by solution casting and evaluated by solution and solid-state NMR. Variations in the microstructure of PMMA were analyzed by C-13 solution NMR. Solid-state NMR promotes responses on physical interaction, homogeneity, and compatibility to use these blends to understand the behavior of the ternary blends. The NMR results led-us to acquire information on the polymer blend microstructure and molecular dynamic behavior. From the NMR solution, it was possible to evaluate the microstructure of both polymer blend components; they were atactic. From the solid state, good compatibility between both polymer components was characterized. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.