Core–shell structure and segregation effects in composite droplet polymer blends

Abstract

AbstractCore–shell morphology formation within the dispersed phase was studied for composite droplet polymer‐blend systems comprising a high‐density polyethylene matrix, polystyrene shell and different molecular weights of poly(methyl methacrylate) core material. The blends were prepared in the melt using an internal mixer, and the morphology was analyzed by electron microscopy. Changing the viscoelastic properties of the core in the dispersed phase dramatically affects PS‐PMMA segregation within the dispersed composite droplet itself. A high‐molecular‐weight‐PMMA core contains a large quantity of occluded PS inclusions, while the low‐molecular‐weight PMMA results in a perfectly segregated PS shell and PMMA core. These phenomena were attributed to the viscosity of the PMMA. Using the latter system, a direct microscopic study of the shell formation process demonstrates unambiguously that under conditions of perfect segregation, the onset of complete shell formation corresponds to a shell thickness that is close to two times the radius of gyration of polystyrene. Thus, the thinnest possible shell in such a system possesses a molecular‐scale thickness. The system with the high‐molecular‐weight‐PMMA core demonstrates an onset of complete shell formation that is displaced to higher concentrations due to the poor segregation effect. By counterbalancing the effects of viscosity ratio and interfacial effects on the composite droplet size, it is possible to generate perfectly segregated core–shell dispersed‐phase morphologies of almost identical size with a controlled shell thickness ranging from 40 to 300 nm.