Rheological behavior of a LDPE/PS/SBS blending melt

Abstract

The dynamic rheological behaviors are measured by small amplitude oscillatory shear on a rotational rheometer for a low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/polystyrene (PS)/styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) block copolymer blend with the tool of cole–cole plot. The morphology of the blend is measured by scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrograph, the storage moduli–angular frequency (G′–ω) data are fit by the Palierne model, and the relaxation time spectrum is investigated. The storage modulus and loss modulus of the LDPE/PS/SBS blend at low frequency increase when the weight ratio LDPE/PS increases from 10/90, reaches a maximum of 30/70, and drops thereafter. The cole–cole plots of some blends (10/90/3, 70/30/3, 90/10/3 and 100/0/3) have only one main arc due to compatibilizing effect of the SBS, and those of other blends (0/100/3, 30/70/3 and 50/50/3) have a second arc or a long tail besides the main arc probably due to phase separation. The SEM micrographs of the LDPE/PS/SBS = 10/90/3, 30/70/3, 50/50/3 show sea-island, semi-co-continuous and co-continuous structure, respectively. G′–ω curve of two LDPE/PS/SBS = 30/70/3 and 50/50/3 blends shows a power law, and the power index is much lower than one (0.748 and 0.817), respectively, showing a co-continuous morphology also verified by the SEM micrographs. The experimental data of G′–ω curve of the LDPE/PS/SBS blends are fit by Palierne model, the deviation between the fit line and the experimental data increases gradually as the LDPE/PS weight ratio decreases from 90/10 to 10/90. For the LDPE/PS/SBS blends, the weighted relaxation spectra τH (τ)–τ show a main as well as a second arc or tail; the former corresponding to the relaxation of PS phase and the latter corresponding to that of LDPE phase. Due to the compatibilizing effect of SBS the relaxation time and spectrum strength of LDPE/PS = 50/50 (wt) blends are both increased.