ON THE MORPHOLOGY DETERMINATION OF HETEROGENEOUS BLENDS BY MELT-STATE DYNAMIC-MECHANICAL SPECTROSCOPY

An examination was made of the melt-state dynamic mechanical behavior of heterogeneous binary blends containing polystyrene (PS) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEG) or poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with 0, 30, 50, 70, and 100 vol% PS in each blend. Experimental results of the viscoelastic properties were compared with a theoretical model of a continuous matrix and spherical inclusions in the matrix, as well as a model of co-continuous phases. The possibility of using the models for determining the morphology of the blends was explored by presenting the results in phase angle, delta, vs. dynamic shear modulus, G(d), plots. These plots were also used to obtain extrapolated values of the plateau moduli of the blends.