Effect of nanofillers on the phase separation and rheological properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) blends

The viscoelastic characteristics of the blends of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (PMMA/SAN) were investigated at various temperatures below, near, and above the phase separation temperature. The investigated polymer system is characterized by a lower critical solution temperature. Rheological behavior of the blends in the region of a phase separation was compared with change of the light scattering intensity. The presence of nanofillers in the blend results in that the phase separation occurs at a higher temperature. At the isothermal conditions, the phase separation begins earlier and proceeds with a higher rate as compared with the same blend without filler. The results of the study show the considerable change of the viscoelastic characteristics of PMMA/SAN when the polymer system passes from the homogeneous state to the heterogeneous one. Such characteristics as the dependence of the storage modulus (G′) on the loss modulus (G″), the dependence of the loss viscosity (η″) on the dynamic viscosity (η′), the dependences of the complex viscosity (η*), and the free volume fraction (f) on the blend composition are the most sensitive to the phase separation. The phase separation affects the characteristics G′(ω), where ω is the frequency only in a low-frequency range. Temperatures of phase separation were estimated using dependence G′(T) at ω, which is the constant in the range of low frequencies.