ARS | Publication request: INTERFACIAL TENSION OF POLYCAPROLACTONE/POLYSTYRENE BLENDS BY THE IMBEDDED FIBER RETRACTION METHOD

Submitted to: Adhesion Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 28, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester that is widely used in blends with synthetic and natural polymers for various applications. PCL is blended with biopolymers such as starch to improve its wet mechanical properties without impairing the biodegradability and other useful properties of starch. In spite of its importance, little is known about the interfacial tension of PCL blends. Indirect estimates of the room temperature interfacial tension of PCL blends using wettability methods have been reported. However, direct measurement of the interfacial tension of PCL blends has not been achieved until now, mainly due to the unsuitability of existing equilibrium methods for measuring the interfacial tension of high viscosity blends. We have measured the interfacial tension of PCL/PS blends using the imbedded fiber retraction (IFR) method. The IFR is a dynamic method that allows for the measurement of interfacial tension of high viscosity polymer blends in a relatively short period of time. The interfacial tension of PCL/PS blends was measured from 160 to 200 deg C. We found that, in this temperature range, the interfacial tension of PCL/PS blends is independent of temperature and has a value of 7.6 +/ 1.8 dyn/cm.