Description
Polymer blends constitute a very important class of materials where the components are either physically or chemically mixed with each other to achieve a certain set of functional properties. The physical means of compatibilization of the phases in the blends are addition of compatibilizers (viz. polyethylene-co-maleic anhydride), whereas chemical means include chemical reactions with the phases for chemical linking. Polymer blends are widely used materials in the modern polymer industry because of their wider range of properties as compared to the individual polymers and their ease in tailoring of properties. As a result, polymer blends find applications in numerous fields such as adhesion, colloidal stability, design of composite and biocompatible materials, and so forth. The science and technology of polymer blends has gained tremendous developments in the recent years. A large number of polymer blend systems have been reported along with further developments on their means of synthesis, microstructure, and properties characterization. These functional polymer blend systems have helped to further enhance the application spectrum of polymers in general. The current book proposes to provide these advances in synthesis and characterization methodologies for the generation of different polymer blends systems. Chapter 1 provides an introduction as well as overview of the polymer blend systems. A number of examples of functional polymer blends have been demonstrated. Chapter 2 provides information on the miscibility enhancements in polymer blends through multiple hydrogen binding interactions. Chapter 3 presents the component dynamics prevailing in polymer blend systems. The dynamic environment differs for respective components, thereby giving rise to a difference of the segmental relaxation time of these components in both magnitude and temperature dependence. Concepts of shape memory polymer blends are presented in Chapter 4. A shape memory polymer (SMP) is a smart material that can memorize its original shape after being deformed into a temporary shape when it is heated or receives any other external stimuli such as light, electric field, magnetic field, chemical, moisture, and pH change. Ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA) copolymer toughened polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) blends have been detailed in Chapter 5. Along with synthesis, extensive characterization of the blends for thermal, mechanical, optical, and morphological properties has been reported. Chapter 6 provides theoretical insights through molecular dynamics simulation studies for binary blend miscibility. Calculation of some important parameters, such as Flory Huggins parameter, solubility parameter, and glass transition temperature to discuss the compatibility of polymers has been presented. Chapter 7 reports on conformation and topology of cyclic linear polymer blends (CLBs). The bond fluctuation model and results obtained from this model on the statics and dynamics of CLBs have been reported. Results on the conformational free energy of cyclic polymers (CPs) are also summarized. Strain hardening in polymer blends with fibril morphology is the focus of Chapter 8. Strain hardening is induced by nonlinear molecular structure such as chain branching. In polymer blends, strain hardening can be induced by controlling the morphology such that the fibrillation of the dispersed phase is maintained. Modification of polymer blends by irradiation techniques has been demonstrated in Chapter 9. In the case of polymer blends, such phenomena could occur not only in the bulk of each polymer but also at the interface. Therefore, another parameter could influence the phenomena induced by irradiation: the morphology of the blend. Directed assembly of polymer blends using nanopatterned chemical surfaces has been reported in Chapter 10. Two interesting approaches are discussed to create highly ordered polymer nanostructures using directed assembly of polymer blends on chemically functionalized nanopatterned surface
Contents
Preface.
About the Editor
Contributors.
1. Functional Polymer Blends: Synthesis and Microstructures.
Vikas Mittal
2. Miscibility Enhancement of Polymer Blends through Multiple Hydrogen Bonding Interactions
Shiao-Wei Kuo
3. Component Dynamics in Miscible Polymer Blends.
Hiroshi Watanabe and Osamu Urakawa
4. Shape Memory Polymer Blends.
Young-Wook Chang
5. Synthesis and Properties of Ethylene Methacrylate (EMA) Copolymer Toughened Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Blends.147
Siddaramaiah, P. Poomalai, and Johnsy George
6. Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Binary Blend Miscibility
Hua Yang
7. Conformation and Topology of Cyclic-Linear Polymer Blends
Gopinath Subramanian and Sachin Shanbhag
8. Strain Hardening in Polymer Blends with Fibril Morphology.
Joung Sook Hong, Hyung Tag Lim, Kyung Hyun Ahn, and Seung Jong Lee
9. Modification of Polymer Blends by E-Beam and γ-Irradiation
Rodolphe Sonnier, Aurélie Taguet, and Sophie Rouif
10. Directed Assembly of Polymer Blends Using Nanopatterned
Chemical Surfaces.
Ming Wei and Joey Mead