ARS | Publication request: TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF THE INTERFACIAL TENSION OF POLYMER BLENDS BY THE IMBEDDED FIBER RETRACTION (IFR) METHOD

Submitted to: Polymer Preprints
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: August 26, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The effect of temperature on the interfacial tension for PS/PDMS, PS/PMMA, PS/PE, and PMMA/PE was measured using the imbedded fiber retraction (IFR) method. The IFR method allows for the measurement of the interfacial tension of blends comprising high melting components that may take too long or are impossible to measure by other techniques. Interfacial tensions for PS/PDMS, PS/PMMA, PS/PE, and PE/PMMA were measured over temperature ranges of 160-190, 160-250, 140-220, and 140-220 deg C, respectively. The interfacial tensions of all the blends showed a linear temperature dependence of the form A - KT, where A and K are constants. The values of K for the blends were consistent with those reported using other test methods. Comparison of the data with the mean field theory of Helfand and Sapse were made; however, the simple linear fit to the data described the temperature dependence as well as the predictions of the mean field theory.