Alpha-methylstyrene Research Articles

Living anionic copolymerization of 1,3-pentadiene isomers with alpha-methylstyrene in the presence of 2,2-di(2-tetrahydrofuryl)propane

The synthesis of statistical copolymers of alpha-methylstyrene (AMS) and 1,3-pentadiene (PD) isomers in the presence of 2,2-di(2-tetrahydrofuryl)propane (DTHFP) by living carbanionic polymerization was investigated in this paper. To the best of our knowledge, either AMS or PD monomer was rather difficult to homopolymerize in non-polar solvents without the help of polar additives even at high temperature due to its low ceiling temperature or relatively high electron cloud density of the conjugated CC double bond. However, the combination of RLi initiator and DTHFP regulator (0.1<DTHFP/Li < 0.5) allowed the rapid synthesis of the well-defined poly(AMS-stat-PD) with controlled molar masses (up to 32.5 kDa) and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (1.10 < ĐMs < 1.52). Calculation of reactivity ratios by the Kelen–Tüdos method suggested that AMS copolymerized much more readily to with (Z)-1,3-pentadiene (ZP) than with (E)-1,3-pentadiene (EP) under the same conditions, whereas the EP/AMS copolymer exhibited much lower dispersity. 1H NMR results indicated that the polymer chain was found to be a mixture of 1,2-addition and 1,4-addition units, in the absence of 3,4-units. Kinetic experiments also showed that the apparent activation energy of EP/AMS copolymerization was slightly higher than that of the ZP/AMS case. To ensure complete conversion of the monomer, the feed ratio of AMS (fAMS) must be controlled to be within 0.3. In addition, the incorporation rate of AMS into the polymer chain increased with the increase in the feed ratio of AMS monomer. DSC curves showed that the Tg of the resulting copolymers increased gradually and could reach up to 25 °C (FAMS = 47). Based on the observation of the anionic statistical copolymerization behavior, an interpretation of the formation mechanism is presented here.

Influence of oligomeric resins on natural rubber-carbon black-silica composites for tire tread application

The investigation aims to understand the impact of different resins on properties of natural rubber (NR) based tire tread composites, providing valuable insights for the optimization of tire performance. In current research six different types of resins, namely rosin modified dicyclopentadiene(DCPD), gum rosin, C5 aliphatic resin, alpha methyl styrene (AMS) resin, koresin and terpene phenol resin, were selected for assessing structural influence of resins on cure characteristics, reinforcement, abrasion resistance, cut-tear resistance, heat-build-up, viscoelastic properties of carbon black-silica loaded NR composites. During mixing of rubber composites, condensation reaction between hydroxyl groups of silica with phenolic groups of koresin and terpene phenol resin, leading to elimination of water molecules was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The addition of resins led to a reduction in crosslink density, maximum torque and delta torque. The compounds with gum rosin and rosin modified DCPD showed lower crosslink densities translating into lower tensile strength, lower stress at 100%, 200%, 300% strain, and higher elongation at break among the resins. Rosin modified DCPD based composite exhibited the highest cut growth resistance and tear strength. Rolling resistance indicator (tanδ@70 °C) of resin-based composites followed the order: gum rosin > rosin modified DCPD > koresin > C5 resin > terpene phenol resin > AMS resin. The snow traction (tanδ@-15 °C), the order was: AMS = C5 > gum rosin > terpene phenol = koresin > rosin modified DCPD. The dynamic stiffness (É) of the gum rosin-based compound was significantly increased at low strain (0.1%) and low temperatures (-80–20 °C) compared to other resins. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy was employed to analyze surface topography and roughness of the resin-based NR composites, providing valuable insights into interfacial characteristics.

Blending Petroleum Waxes with Suitable Polymeric Additives as a Simple and Promising Way to Improve the Quality of Petroleum Waxes for Numerous Industrial Applications

New compounded high compatible blends of Paraffin wax (PW) and Microcrystalline waxes (MCW) of specific properties were prepared. The additives include ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer as a viscosity modifier as well as the tackifing resins,( poly hydrogenated dicyclo pentadiene (HD) and poly alpha methylstyrene (MS)) enhanced the wax performance based on molecular weight (Mw),the number of carbons and the crystallinity. The ingredients were combined together of high compatibility within the wax blends. The MS and HD resins created promising physical, mechanical and technological properties to be used in food packaging, hot melt, labeling and various industrial applications. The blend compatibility , melting behavior (congealing point (CP), softening point (SP) and drop melting point (DMP)), dynamic viscosity, hardness (low penetration value) , the mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) as well as adhesion property are dependent on the composition of the wax blends.

Evaluation of the applicability of polymeric materials to BTEX and fine product transformation by catalytic and non-catalytic pyrolysis as a part of the closed loop material economy

This article presents experimental results on the pyrolysis of different mixtures of polymer waste. ABS copolymer, PET, PP, tire waste styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and pure non-vulcanised SBR were used in the experiments under different catalyst conditions: (i) without a catalyst, (ii) with an unmodified ZSM-5 catalyst, (iii) with a ZSM-5 catalyst possessing ammonium groups, and (iv) with a ZSM-5 catalyst containing 10 % Ni. The primary objective of this study was to select suitable conditions to pyrolyse polymeric materials depending on the polymer type and properties of the desired final products, e.g., aromatic and heteroaromatic hydrocarbons and valuable chemical subproducts.Suitable conditions can be determined for the thermal conversion of polymeric materials, and using non-catalytic pyrolysis can yield chemical compounds such as alpha-methyl styrene from acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and limonene from tire waste, which can be used in both fine chemicals and industrial production. The pyrolysis conditions can be modified in terms of the catalyst based on the tested waste polymer and result in products rich in BTEX fractions.Among all tested catalysts, the ZSM-5 catalyst based on aluminosilicate impregnated with nickel ions yielded the highest total fraction of aromatic and heteroaromatic hydrocarbons, especially from the pyrolysis of PP and PET. With this catalyst, more than 75 area% of the product stream (of the total identified product peaks by MS) consisted of aromatic and heteroaromatic fractions (e.g., terephthalonitrile from polyethylene terephthalate), which were composed of 5.6 and 19.9 area% benzene, 7.0 and 10.8 area% toluene, 5.7 and 10.6 area% ethylbenzene and 1.2 and 1.4 area% xylene for PP and PET, respectively. High proportions of the aromatic and heteroaromatic fractions were observed in the product stream during the ABS pyrolysis with two types of catalysts: aluminosilicate with ammonium groups (73 area% of the aromatic and heteroaromatic hydrocarbons) and aluminosilicate impregnated with nickel ions (85 area% of the aromatic and heteroaromatic hydrocarbons).

Experience on the environmental and hygienic assessment of water pollution in the territories referred to oil refining and petrochemical complexes

Introduction. Wastewater contaminated with oil, demulsifiers, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium sulfide, phenol, sulfates, aromatic hydrocarbons, alkali, fatty acids, various solutes, etc. is formed at oil refining and petrochemical enterprises. Runoff entering surface and underground water sources can harm water quality, sanitary conditions of life, and water use of the population. Taking this into account, further improvement of scientific approaches to ensure the safety of water bodies that are sources of drinking and recreational use, assessment, and prevention of public health risks caused by water factors is of particular importance. Material and methods. To assess the degree of influence of industrial enterprises on the quality of water sources, we studied the sanitary condition of the Belaya River and its tributaries, as well as underground water lying in the area of oil refining and petrochemical industries. The analysis of the water quality of surface and underground water sources according to the data of laboratory studies of departmental laboratories; the results of scientific and practical research and publications on the studied problem for 1999-2019. Results. Materials of observation data show that wastewater from changes of industrial enterprises the sanitary condition of surface reservoirs: there is a decrease in the content of ammonium nitrogen and biological oxygen consumption indices and a significant increase in the content of nitrates, chlorides, sulfates, and petroleum products. Surface water sources are characterized by unfavorable organoleptic characteristics, high organic pollution, and the presence of specific compounds (petroleum products, surfactants, alpha-methylstyrol, benzene, toluene, isopropylbenzene, and hydrogen sulfide) in concentrations higher than their hygiene regulations. Underground waters located on the territories of the main industrial complexes are characterized by high mineralization, extremely high hardness, high content of iron, nitrates, and petroleum products. Conclusion. Refineries and petrochemicals affect the pollution of surface and underground water sources. The water quality of the surveyed water bodies does not meet sanitary and hygienic standards. The priority indices of the influence of the enterprises of branch on water bodies include organoleptic indices of organic pollution indices of total salts composition of water, the content of specific ingredients: oil, benzene, toluene, isopropyl, alpha-methyl styrene, xylene, cresol, kerosene, gasoline, fuel oil, ethylene, propylene, 3,4-benzo(a)pyrene, phenols (volatile), methyl mercaptan, nonionic and anion-active surfactants, biological oxygen consumption indices and others. The research made it possible to assess the level of pollution of water bodies located in the zone of industrial enterprises and develop measures to reduce the man-made impact on the environment and public health.

Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Alpha Methyl Styrene to Cumene

Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Alpha Methyl Styrene to Cumene

Stochastic modeling of microstructure of homopolymers and copolymers in batch reactor

Find the microstructure of the product generated in a reaction of polymerization is desirable from a material science standpoint, due to the association between the microstructure and the physical properties. For the science of this fact, this paper aims to use stochastic modeling to obtain the microstructure and key information from a set of polymer chains generated during a reaction. From this data, the present article contributes to the minimization of experimental expenses, besides the saving of time, since no experiments are necessary to discover the characteristics of the polymer obtained under certain reaction conditions. This information cannot be found by other usual methodologies for modeling chemical reactions, such as the deterministic form. Also, from a given desired structure, the initial concentration and temperature conditions for forming that product can be obtained. This study was conducted based on Monte Carlo stochastic methods, by which we seek to replicate the randomness present in chemical reactions. The algorithm created in C ++ language determines the variation of the number of molecules of each species with time, besides the chemical composition, the sequence of mere and size of the generated chains. This approach applies to straight-chain homopolymerizations and copolymerizations. In this paper, we studied the polymerization in styrene batch reactors to form polystyrene, in addition to the copolymerization of styrene with alpha-methyl styrene. These simulations were characterized by forming chains with small blocks of monomers.

Effect of phase maldistribution on performance of two‐phase catalytic monolith reactor and its comparison with trickle bed reactor

AbstractMonolith reactors are widely considered as an alternative to the conventional trickle bed reactor. For the commercial deployment of monolith reactors, comparative performance studies are required. Reliable comparative and performance studies require a detailed understanding of the effect of phase distribution/maldistribution on the performance studies. In this work, performance and comparative studies were carried out in a relatively large column that was 4.8 cm in diameter. Experiments were performed in the same conditions that were used in studies for which phase distribution data were available. Since the properties of the catalyst used were different in both the reactors, the apparent kinetics were studied to facilitate the comparison. The hydrogenation of alpha‐methyl styrene (AMS) was used as a test reaction. From the performance studies, it was found that the effect of maldistribution on the performance was stronger than the catalyst availability. From the comparative studies, it was found that the monolith reactor with maldistributed flow conditions provides higher productivity than the trickle bed reactor.

Reactive molecular dynamics simulations on the thermal decomposition of poly alpha-methyl styrene.

Using molecular dynamics simulations with ReaxFF reactive force field, the thermal decomposition mechanism of poly alpha-methyl styrene (PAMS) materials and the effects of heating rate and impurity fluorobenzene on PAMS thermal decompositions are studied. The results show that: 1) Pyrolysis mechanism of PAMS consists of initiation and propagation processes. In the initiation stage, random scissions of C-C backbone produce fragments, and in the propagation stage, depolymerizing reactions generate monomers and other products. 2) Higher decomposition temperature is needed for greater heating rate. 3) The presence of impurity fluorobenzene retards thermal decomposition of PAMS.

The mechanism of grafting of maleic anhydride onto isotactic polybutene-1 assisted by comonomers

Radical melt grafting reactions between isotactic polybutene-1 (iPB-1) and maleic anhydride (MAH) were performed with different comonomers including styrene (St), alpha methyl styrene (AMS), and 1-decene in a Torque Rheometer. The reaction mechanism of comonomer/MAH melt grafting on iPB-1 was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high temperature gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC), melt flow rate (MFR), and gel content test. The results showed that MAH grafted onto iPB-1 after degradation of macromolecular chains without comonomers. In contrast, in the presence of comonomers, intermediates that could graft on iPB-1 main chains before its degradation were obtained, so the three comonomers were able to suppress the degradation thus increasing the grafting degree of MAH. The intermediates could be 1-decene-co-MAH or electron transfer complex (CTC) while St or AMS was added. Moreover, AMS and 1-decene increased the molecular weight and polydispersity of iPB-1 because macroradicals tended to have coupling termination.

Methyl Methacrylate and Alpha-Methyl Styrene: New Strategy for Synthesis of Bloc Copolymers for Use in Potential Biomedical Applications Generated by an Ecologic Catalyst Called Maghnite (Algerian MMT)

A new model for synthesis of the plastics, block copolymers were prepared from methyl methacrylate (MMA) and alpha-methyl styrene (α-MS) by cationic copolymerization in the presence of a new and efficient catalyst of “Maghnite-Na” at 0 °C in bulk. In this paper, the copolymerization of α-MS and MMA was induced in heterogeneous phase catalyzed by Maghnite-Na was investigated under suitable conditions. The “Maghnite-Na” is a montmorillonite sheet silicate clay, with exchanged sodium cations to produce Na-Montmorillonite (Na+-MMT) obtained from Tlemcen, Algeria, was investigated to remove heavy metal ion from wastewater as an efficient catalyst for cationic polymerization of many vinylic and heterocyclic monomers. The synthesized copolymer were characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR-1H, NMR-13C), FT-IR spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) to elucidate structural characteristics and thermal properties of the resulting copolymers. The structure compositions of “MMT”, “H+-MMT” and “Na+-MMT” have been developed. The effect of the MMA/α-MS molar ratio on the rate of copolymerization, the amount of catalyst, temperature and time of copolymerization on yield of copolymers was studied. The yield of copolymerization depends on the amount of Na+-MMT used and the reaction time. The kinetic studies indicated that the polymerization rate is first order with respect to monomer concentration. A possible mechanism of this cationic polymerization is discussed based on the results of the 1H-NMR Spectroscopic analysis of these model reactions. A cationic mechanism for the reaction studies showed that monomer was inserted into the growing chains.

Spin Transfer in Polymer Degradation of Abnormal Linkage

The degradation of polymer materials plays an important role in production and life. In this work, the degradation mechanism of poly-α-methylstyrene (PAMS) tetramers with abnormal linkage was investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). Calculated results indicate that the head-to-head and the tail-to-tail reactions needed to overcome the energy barriers are about 0.15 eV and about 1.26 eV, respectively. The broken C–C bond at the unsaturated end of the chain leads to the dissociation of alpha-methylstyrene (AMS) monomers one by one. Furthermore, the analyses of bond characteristics are in good agreement with the results of energy barriers. In addition, the spin population analysis presents an interesting net spin transfer process in depolymerization reactions. We hope that the current theoretical results provide useful help to understand the degradation mechanism of polymers.

Radicals and molecular products from the gas-phase pyrolysis of lignin model compounds. Cinnamyl alcohol

The experimental results on detection and identification of intermediate radicals and molecular products from gas-phase pyrolysis of cinnamyl alcohol (CnA), the simplest non-phenolic lignin model compound, over the temperature range of 400–800°C are reported. The low temperature matrix isolation – electron paramagnetic resonance (LTMI-EPR) experiments along with the theoretical calculations, provided evidences on the generation of the intermediate carbon and oxygen centered as well as oxygen-linked, conjugated radicals. A mechanistic analysis is performed based on density functional theory to explain formation of the major products from CnA pyrolysis; cinnamaldehyde, indene, styrene, benzaldehyde, 1-propynyl benzene, and 2-propenyl benzene. The evaluated bond dissociation patterns and unimolecular decomposition pathways involve dehydrogenation, dehydration, 1,3-sigmatropic H-migration, 1,2-hydrogen shift, CO and CC bond cleavage processes.

Forensic analysis of P2P derived amphetamine synthesis impurities: identification and characterization of indene by-products.

1-Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) is an internationally monitored precursor that has become increasingly difficult for illicit amphetamine producers to source, which means that alternative routes to its preparation have become increasingly important. One such approach includes the hydrolysis of alpha-phenylacetoacetonitrile (APAAN) with sulfuric acid. Previously, we reported the identification of 4,6-dimethyl-3,5-diphenylpryid-2-one following implementation of hydrolysis conditions and it was proposed that this compound might serve as one route specific by-product in the APAAN to P2P conversion. This study continued to explore the presence of impurities formed during this conversion and expanded also into a second route of P2P synthesis starting from alpha-methylstyrene (AMS). All P2P products underwent the Leuckart procedure to probe the presence of P2P-related impurities that might have carried through to the final product. Two by-products associated with the APAAN hydrolysis route to P2P were identified as 2,3-diacetyl-2,3-diphenylsuccinonitrile (1) and 2-methyl-1-phenyl-1,3-dicarbonitrile-1H-indene (2), respectively. Two by-products associated with the AMS route to P2P and subsequent Leuckart reaction were 1,1,3-trimethyl-3-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene (3) and 1-phenyl-N-(phenylethyl)propan-2-amine (4), respectively. The two indenes (2 and 3) identified in synthesized amphetamine originating from P2P suggested that it might be possible to differentiate between the two synthetic routes regarding the use of APAAN and AMS. Furthermore, the association of these compounds with amphetamine production appears to have been reported for the first time. The presence of compounds 1 - 4 in seized amphetamine samples and waste products could facilitate the suggestion whether APAAN or AMS were employed in the synthesis route to the P2P. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

α-甲基苯乙烯质量攻关技术研究

吉林石化公司苯酚丙酮装置中设计有一套α-甲基苯乙烯回收单元，由于2001改造时对原有精馏塔进行利旧使用，且工艺流程设计不合理导致生产的α-甲基苯乙烯产品存在纯度低、颜色发黄等质量问题，严重影响了α-甲基苯乙烯作为产品销售。本项目在流程模拟研究和实验室研究的基础上，重新设计了工艺流程，提出改造方案，在保持主体设备不动的前提下，采用脱轻塔和成品塔均增设侧线采出的方式，成功地解决了α-甲基苯乙烯产品质量问题。 A set of alpha methyl styrene recovery unit is designed in the phenol acetone plant of Jilin Petro-chemical Co. In 2001, the transformation of the original rectification tower for the use of the old, and unreasonable process design resulted in that the production of alpha methyl styrene products had quality problem, such as purity is low, color is yellow and so on, which had serious impact on the alpha methyl styrene as product sales. In this project, based on a process simulation research and laboratory research, we redesign the process and put forward the reform plan. Under the premise of keeping the main equipment unchanged, using the way of light off tower and finished tower being added with the sidestreams, the alpha methyl styrene production quality issue is successfully solved.

Preparation of proton exchange membranes by radiation-induced grafting of alpha methyl styrene–butyl acrylate mixture onto polyetheretherketone (PEEK) films

Radiation-induced graft copolymerization of alpha methyl styrene (AMS)–butyl acrylate (BA) mixture onto poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) was carried out to produce copolymer films which were subsequently sulfonated to develop proton exchange membranes. The characterization of membranes was carried out with infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), contact angle and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The presence of sulfonic acid groups within the polymer matrix was confirmed by FTIR. The crystallinity of membranes decreased significantly upon sulfonation process. The melting temperature of the membranes also decreased as compared to the virgin and the grafted films. At the same time, glass transition temperature (Tg) of membranes increased as the grafting increased. Virgin film showed stable thermogram up to ~500 °C while the grafted film had two-step degradation pattern. Sulfonation introduced one additional decomposition range in the membrane. Contact angle images showed the hydrophilic nature of the membrane surface. The EPMA showed the presence of the sulphur across the membrane matrix in a homogenous manner. The membranes showed low resistivity of 62 Ω cm for the graft level of 27 %.

Thermal runaway reaction evaluation of two by-products mixed with cumene hydroperoxide in the oxidation tower

Oxygen (O2) or air is widely used to produce cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) in the cumene oxidation tower. The aim of this study was applied to analyze thermal hazard of two by-products including alpha-methylstyrene (AMS) and acetophenone (AP) in a CHP oxidation tower. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) were operated to evaluate thermal runaway reaction of CHP mixed with AMS and AP. Exothermic onset temperature (T0), maximum temperature (Tmax), activation energy (Ea), etc., that were employed to prevent and protect thermal runaway reaction and explosion in the manufacturing process and storage area. In view of proactive loss prevention, the inherently safer handling procedure and storage situation should be maintained in the chemical industries. The T0 of 30 mass% CHP was determined to be 105 °C by DSC. Therefore, the T0 of 30 mass% CHP mixed with AMS was determined to be 60–70 °C by DSC. The exothermic reaction of CHP/AP and CHP/AMS by DSC under N2 reaction gas is thermal decomposition of oxygen–oxygen bond (–O–O–) because of the anaerobic reaction.

Structural characterization of alpha methyl styrene-butyl acrylate-grafted polyetheretherketone films

Radiation-induced graft copolymerization of alpha methyl styrene (AMS)-butyl acrylate (BA) mixture onto poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) was carried out to develop films of varying copolymer compositions. The characterization of films was carried out with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The presence of AMS and BA units within the film matrix was confirmed by FTIR. The intensity of the characteristic peaks for AMS and BA increased with the increasing grafted component in the films. The crystallinity of the films as observed from DSC and XRD decreased with the increasing graft levels. On the other hand, the melting temperature of the base polymer was almost unaffected by irradiation and the grafting process. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the grafted film increased as compared to the virgin PEEK. Ungrafted film showed a stable thermogram up to ∼500°C. However, the grafting introduced a new decomposition range in the copolymer, due to the presence of the AMS/BA. AFM images showed the formation of domains on the grafted PEEK film surface. The SEM also showed domain formation of the grafted component within the PEEK matrix. However, the fracture analysis did not show any prominent phase separation. Mechanical characterization of films in terms of tensile strength, elongation, and modulus was also carried out. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

A study of micronucleus induction with isopropenyl benzene and trimellitic anhydride in bone marrow cells of Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice

The genotoxicity of two chemicals, isopropenyl benzene and trimellitic anhydride, was evaluated using male Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice bone marrow cells for the screening of micronucleus induction. 7 week male ICR mice were tested at dosages of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg for isopropenyl benzene and 475, 950 and 1900 mg/kg for trimellitic anhydride, respectively. As a result of counting the micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MNPCE) of 2000 polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE), all treated groups expressed no statistically significant increase of MNPCE as compared to the negative control group. It was concluded that these two chemicals did not induce micronucleus in bone marrow cells and no direct proportion with dosage. Key words: Mice, bone marrow, micronucleus induction, isopropenyl benzene, trimellitic anhydride.

Phase Separation as a Tool to Control Dispersion of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes in Polymeric Blends

Conducting polymeric materials with stable phase microstructures have a range of potential applications. In this work, it is investigated whether phase separation in polymer blends can be used as a tool to create well dispersed conducting filler rich domains in 3D with controlled morphology, potentially resulting in more effective percolation. The effect of amine functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (NH(2)-MWCNTs) on the thermally induced phase separation processes in poly[(alpha-methyl styrene)-co-acrylonitrile]/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PalphaMSAN/PMMA) blends was monitored by melt rheology, conductivity spectroscopy, and microscopic techniques. Electron microscopic images revealed that the phase separation resulted in a heterogeneous distribution of NH(2)-MWCNTs in the blends. The migration of NH(2)-MWCNTs is controlled by the thermodynamic forces that drive phase separation and led to an increase in their local concentration in a specific phase resulting in percolative "network-like" structure. Conductivity spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that the blends with 2 wt % NH(2)-MWCNTs that showed insulating properties for a one phasic system revealed highly conducting material in the melt state (two phasic) as a result of phase separation. By quenching this morphology, a highly conducting material with controlled dispersion of MWCNTs can be achieved. Furthermore, the role of NH(2)-MWCNTs in stabilizing the PMMA droplets against flow induced coalescence in 85/15 PalphaMSAN/PMMA blends was also established for the first time. It was observed that at a typical loading of 1.25 wt % NH(2)-MWCNTs the coalescence was completely suppressed on a practical time scale.