Polymer Blends
Copolymer Compatibilization of Polymer Blends
Copolymers have often been used to compatibilize polymer blends through favorable interactions with the blend domains. One monomer of the copolymer will strongly interact with the phase rich in that same monomer and vice versa with the other monomer. We have traditionally studied two model polymer blend using polystyrene and polybutadiene with one model system having a low molecular weight allowing both the homogeneous and phase separated phased to be accessed. The other model system has molecular weights above their respective entanglement molecular weights restricting the accessible phase to only the phase separated region. We use 1) cloud point measurements, wide angle, dynamic, and static light scattering as well as small angle neutron scattering, 2) light microscopy (LM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), 3) Monte Carlo simulations, and 4) anionic and controlled radical synthetic techniques.