KINETICS OF PHASE-SEPARATION IN POLYURETHANE POLYSTYRENE SEMI-1 INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORKS .2. MICROSCOPY OBSERVATIONS AND THEORETICAL APPROACH

The phase separation process of in-situ polyurethane/polystyrene semi-1 interpenetrating polymer networks has been followed by optical microscopy completed by image analysis. The final morphology has been examined by scanning electron microscopy, and its relation to the phase separation process has been established. When phase separation occurs before gelation of the medium, polystyrene is dispersed both as large and small noduli in the polyurethane network; a polyurethane-rich interphase separates the noduli from the matrix. These observations explain the previous results on the turbidity of such systems measured by light transmission. In the opposite cases, no visible phase separation is observed on the micrographs. The thermodynamics of the phase separation process has also been examined.