A rubber-modified thermoplastic where the morphology produced by phase-separation induced by polymerization disappears at high conversions

An unexpected experimental finding is reported where the primary morphology developed during polymerization-induced phase separation in a rubber-modified thermoplastic practically disappears at high conversions. This process was evidenced by light scattering (LS) and scanning electron microscopy (SE...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Soulé, Ezequiel Rodolfo; Elicabe, Guillermo Enrique; Williams, Roberto Juan Jose
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2008
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/67659
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/67659
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Phase Separation
Light Scattering
Inverse Problem
Polymer
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.4
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Description
Summary:An unexpected experimental finding is reported where the primary morphology developed during polymerization-induced phase separation in a rubber-modified thermoplastic practically disappears at high conversions. This process was evidenced by light scattering (LS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for a particular composition of solutions of polyisobutylene oligomers (PIB) in isobornylmethacrylate (IBoMA), during the free-radical polymerization of the monomer. The primary phase separation produced a dispersion of domains rich in PIB containing significant amounts of the monomer (IBoMA). Polymerization of the monomer in these domains occurred at high overall conversions producing the filling of dispersed domains with a PIBoMA-PIB blend that could not be distinguished from the matrix. Under these conditions the final material had the appearance of a homogeneous blend. © 2007 Springer-Verlag.