Formation Of Blends Research Articles

Investigation of the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced ABS/Epoxy Blended Polymer Composite

This research investigates the formation of polymer blends by blending Epoxy LY556 with Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) at weight percentages ranging from 2 to 10% wt. The thermal properties, morphological characteristics, tensile strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) characteristics of these composites were examined. The X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) studies confirmed the presence of binary blends. The miscibility of epoxy/ABS blends is shown by the presence of a single melting peak in the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) findings indicate that epoxy and ABS blends exhibit greater thermal stability than pure epoxy. The tensile strength increased from 183.6 to 380.6 MPa, flexural strength increased from 165.3 MPa to 335.6 MPa, ILSS increased from 32.4 MPa to 72 MPa for 8% wt. of ABS blending, and the laminates witnessed a decrease in density and hardness values. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images demonstrate the commendable blending characteristics and the synergistic impact of the ABS/Epoxy composite, yielding superior outcomes to the pure epoxy material.

The development of ternary and quaternary solid dispersion based hydrotropic blends of atorvastatin calcium

Background and objective: Atorvastatin calcium (ATV) has a solubility in aqueous solutions of greater than 0.1 mg/ml to less than 1 mg/ml, which is very slightly soluble. When developing dosage forms for these medications, formulation scientists still face challenges. This study's goal was to use various hydrotropic agents in the formation of solid dispersion-based hydrotropic blends to improve the solubility properties of atorvastatin calcium. Methods: In this study, twenty-two distinct binary, ternary, and quaternary formulations of ATV were prepared by employing five different hydrotropic agents and combining at least two hydrotropic agents in concentrations of 10% and 20% (w/v). Moreover, solid dispersion by the solvent evaporation method and physical mixture-based hydrotropic blends in the ratio of (1:2) have been formulated. The produced formulations were characterized using an FTIR analysis. Results: According to the findings, binary formulations containing 20% (w/v) concentrations of sodium benzoate (SB), sodium salicylate (SS), and resorcinol (R) enhanced the solubility ratio of ATV by 439.31, 689.57, and 106.21 folds, respectively. Furthermore, ternary formulations (FT14) and quaternary formulations (FQ18) resulted in the enhancement of ATV solubility by 938.45 and 995.12 folds, respectively. Ternary solid dispersion demonstrated the highest enhancement in solubility ratio by 87.68 folds and resulted in a higher dissolution rate of ATV than pure samples of the drug. Finally, FTIR analyses excluded any interactions between medications and excipients by showing no noticeable shift in the peaks. Conclusion: Solid dispersion based hydrotropic blends can provide the production of the dosage forms of practically insoluble drugs with a favorable enhancement ratio in solubility.

Phonological Construction of Indonesian Blends

Blends are formed by joining two clipped words into one. For example, in English, ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’ are joined to become ‘brunch’. While studies of blends usually focus on the morphological aspect, this study aims at describing the phonological aspects of blend formation, particularly the syllable formation of Indonesian blends. Moreover, the phonological constraints for blend formation are also investigated. The data were obtained from observing blending words used in daily conversations, as well as in media such as television and online news. To gather the data, the researcher asked each of her 20 students to find five samples of Indonesian blends. As a result, as many as 100 Indonesian blends were found. The data were then categorized based on their syllable structures and the phonological constraints for blend formation were analyzed using optimality theory. The results showed that blending words can be categorized into six types, which are (CVC+CVC), (CV+CVC), (CV+CVC), (V+CVC), (CV+CV), and (VC+CVC). For example, the second type (CV + CVC) ‘mager’ is formed from the first part of the first source word and the first part of the second source word as in ‘malas’ and ‘gerak’. Moreover, there are some possible constraints that make a new blend acceptable or unacceptable in Indonesian, such as the recognizability of blend from its source words and the semantic similarity of the blend with the already existing word. For example, the word ‘mantul’ is acceptable blend of mantap + betul, since ‘mantul’ already exists but it has different meaning. The results of this study imply that forming new words by blending the already existed words is still possible, but their acceptance or usage depend on the users’ familiarity with phonological knowledge.

Lexical Shortening and Blending: An Innovative Word Formation Process in Arabic

A corpus of 170 partial Arabic blends in which the first and/or second constituents are shortened was collected from several Arabic resources and subjected to further analysis to explore the structure of Arabic partial blends; blend types (attributive/headed); which constituents and which part is shortened; the kind of relation that exists between the constituents of Arabic blends; and the contexts or registers which favour the formation of lexical blends. Blends consist of two or more words merged into one new word. Blending involves shortening of one constituent or both. It involves creating new words by omitting part of the original word but retaining its original meaning. Partial blends consist of a splinter, i.e. shortened constituent (تركو Turko; انجلو Ango, افرو Afro, قطر Qatar, ايبرو Iberian, أورو Euro,يهو Jewish, أحيو biology, القرو-وسطي , أمنو security, سع Saudi, جمهو republic) and a head (full constituent) that combines with it. Data analysis showed the following: (i) compounds with multiple blends with different splinters from the same lexical items (فَحْم السكر carbon+sugar > فَحْمَس ،فَسْكَر ،فَحْسك ، فَحْكَر); (ii) blends with a final reduction in the first constituent كهرمغنيطيسي) electromagnetic(; (iii) blends with a splinter as a first constituent+the combining vowel /o/ (تركوخليجي Turkish+Gulf; هندو إيراني Indo-Iranian); (iv) three-and four-constituent blends (الأنجلو-صهيو-فارسي-أمريكي Anglo+Zio+ Persian+American); (v) Blends with prefixes that are shortened particles/adverbs (قبتاريخ pre-historic; بيسطري interlinear; فوبنفسجي ultraviolet; غِبُّلوغ post puberty; تحبحري undersea); (vi) blends with initial reduction in the second constituent resulting in the suffix {el} (امريكائيل) America+el last syllable in Israel); (vii) splinters with initial reduction in the second constituent (بيروتشيما Beirut +Hiroshima; عبقريشتاين (genius+Einstein); (viii) imperfect blends with final reduction of first constituent + initial reduction of second constituent (متشائل pessimist+optimist; جزائسطينية Algeria+Palestinian); (ix) technical blends (برمجاني freeware; حَمْضَلون acid+vinegar); and (ix) blends with overlapping consonants (أنفمي nose+mouth; عربيزي Arabic+English; قببلوغ (قبل+بلوغ) pre-puberty; سوداناس Sudan people). Syntactically and semantically, the relation between constituents of a blend containing a prefix/suffix is exocentric and syntagmatic but it is endocentric and paradigmatic in blends in most of the categories. Recommendations for testing the Arabic blend recognition, comprehension and interpretation by translation students are given.

Development of a membrane and a bilayer of chitosan, gelatin, and polyhydroxybutyrate to be used as wound dressing for the regeneration of rat excisional wounds.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body that acts as a protective barrier from the outside environment. Certain dermatological pathologies or significant skin lesions can result in serious complications. Several studies have focused on the development of tissue-engineered skin substitutes. In this study, a new bilayer scaffold composed of a chitosan-gelatin membrane and a chitosan-polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) porous matrix was synthesized and populated with human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) to be potentially used for wound dressing applications. By combining this membrane and porous matrix with the stem cells, we aimed to provide immunomodulation and differentiation capabilities for the wound environment, as well as mechanical strength and biocompatibility for the underlying tissue. The membrane was prepared from the mixture of chitosan and gelatin in a 2:1 ratio and the porous matrix was prepared from the mixture of chitosan and PHB, in equal proportions to form a final solution at 2.5% (m/v). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed the formation of blends, and micro-computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images demonstrated membrane roughness and matrix porosity. The MTT assay showed that the scaffolds were biocompatible with hASC. The membrane and the bilayer were used as dressing and support for cell migration in the dorsal excisional wound model in Wistar rats. Histological and gene transcriptional analyses showed that the animals that received the scaffolds regenerated the hair follicles in the deep dermis in the central region of the wound. Our results demonstrate the potential of these new biomaterials as dressings in wound healing studies, favoring tissue regeneration.

Topochemical Syntheses of Polyarylopeptides Involving Large Molecular Motions: Frustrated Monomer Packing Leads to the Formation of Polymer Blends.

We report the topochemical syntheses of three polyarylopeptides, wherein triazolylphenyl group is integrated into the backbone of peptide chains. We synthesized three different monomers having azide and arylacetylene as end-groups from glycine, L-alanine and L-valine. We crystallized these monomers and the crystal structures of two of them were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. Due to the steric constraints, both of these monomers crystallized with two molecules, viz. conformers A and B, in the asymmetric unit. Consistently, in both cases, the A-conformers are antiparallelly π-stacked and B-conformers are parallelly slip-stacked, exploiting weak interactions. Though the arrangements of molecules in the pristine crystals were unsuitable for topochemical reaction, upon heating, they undergo large motion inside the crystal lattice to reach a transient reactive orientation and thereby the self-sorted conformer stacks react to give a blend of triazole-linked polyarylopeptides having two different linkages. Due to the large molecular motion inside crystals, the product phase loses its crystallinity.

Topochemical Syntheses of Polyarylopeptides Involving Large Molecular Motions: Frustrated Monomer Packing Leads to the Formation of Polymer Blends

AbstractWe report the topochemical syntheses of three polyarylopeptides, wherein triazolylphenyl group is integrated into the backbone of peptide chains. We synthesized three different monomers having azide and arylacetylene as end‐groups from glycine, L‐alanine and L‐valine. We crystallized these monomers and the crystal structures of two of them were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffractometry. Due to the steric constraints, both of these monomers crystallized with two molecules, viz. conformers A and B, in the asymmetric unit. Consistently, in both cases, the A‐conformers are antiparallelly π‐stacked and B‐conformers are parallelly slip‐stacked, exploiting weak interactions. Though the arrangements of molecules in the pristine crystals were unsuitable for topochemical reaction, upon heating, they undergo large motion inside the crystal lattice to reach a transient reactive orientation and thereby the self‐sorted conformer stacks react to give a blend of triazole‐linked polyarylopeptides having two different linkages. Due to the large molecular motion inside crystals, the product phase loses its crystallinity.

Psycholinguistic and cognitive-semiotic dimensions of constructing fear in horror films: A multimodal perspective

This article addresses an integrative psycholinguistic and cognitive-semiotic perspective on constructing fear in English horror films. At the heart of constructing fear in horror film is the filmmakers’ presumption that viewers can potentially share their joint intention with the filmmakers, can share joint attention, and, as a result, share joint emotion. Drawing on the theory of intersubjectivity, fear in horror films emerges as the result of joint attention between filmmakers and viewers. Fear is viewed as a multimodal construct resulting from the synergistic integration of verbal, nonverbal, and cinematic semiotic resources via audial and visual modes. Each semiotic resource contributes to meaning-making by employing elements specific to horror films. The verbal system contains interjections, descriptive words, emotion-laden words, pleas for help, and violation of the sentence structure. The nonverbal elements include a contorted face, screaming, chaotic gestures, shaking, or stupor. The cinematic resource possesses the meaning-making potential to highlight various aspects of filmic fear through close-ups and middle close-ups, camera angles, dim light, and non-linear disturbing music. The meanings constructed by semiotic elements interact through cross-mapping, contributing to the formation of multimodal blends, which emerge in conceptual integration. Multimodal blends of fear in horror films include two-/three-component, non-parity, and consecutive patterns. From the viewers’ perspective, fear in horror films is perceived as a whole entity with a different level of intensity: from anxiety to horror. The experiment results show that the main indicators of fear for both males and females are pleas for help, voice and facial expressions, and music and close-up. However, while watching horror films, males feel interested more, while females experience negative emotions of fear, disgust, and tension.

Impact of MWCNTs on the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of PVA/PANi blends

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/0.25% polyaniline (PANi)/x wt % MWCNTs (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1) blends were formed. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to investigate the formation of the different blends. The effects of the MWCNTs amounts on the optical parameters and emitted colours of the different blends were investigated. The optical band gaps for PVA/0.25% PANi/x wt % MWCNTs blends are 3.24, 3.13, 3.05, 2.99, 2.84, and 2.95 eV when the MWCNTs amounts in the blends become 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1 wt %, respectively. The modifications in optical band gaps upon loading PVA/ PANi with MWCNTs indicated that the investigated blends are promising candidates for solar cell and photocatalysis applications. The DC conductivity exhibited a maximum value in the blend with 0.8 wt% MWCNTs. All blends have two activation energies. The influence of MWCNTs amounts on the dielectric constant, AC conductivity, impedance, electric modulus, characteristic frequency, and Nyquist plot of the different blends was examined.

Biochemical basis for the formation of organ-specific volatile blends in mint.

Above-ground material of members of the mint family is commercially distilled to extract essential oils, which are then formulated into a myriad of consumer products. Most of the research aimed at characterizing the processes involved in the formation of terpenoid oil constituents has focused on leaves. We now demonstrate, by investigating three mint species, peppermint (Mentha ˣ piperita L.), spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) and horsemint (Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds.; accessions CMEN 585 and CMEN 584), that other organs - namely stems, rhizomes and roots - also emit volatiles and that the terpenoid volatile composition of these organs can vary substantially from that of leaves, supporting the notion that substantial, currently underappreciated, chemical diversity exists. Differences in volatile quantities released by plants whose roots had been dipped in a Verticillium dahliae-spore suspension (experimental) or dipped in water (controls) were evident: increases of some volatiles in the root headspace of mint species that are susceptible to Verticillium wilt disease (peppermint and M. longifolia CMEN 584) were detected, while the quantities of certain volatiles decreased in rhizomes of species that show resistance to the disease (spearmint and M. longifolia CMEN 585). To address the genetic and biochemical basis underlying chemical diversity, we took advantage of the newly sequenced M. longifolia CMEN 585 genome to identify candidate genes putatively coding for monoterpene synthases (MTSs), the enzymes that catalyze the first committed step in the biosynthesis of monoterpenoid volatiles. The functions of these genes were established by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, purification of the corresponding recombinant proteins, and enzyme assays, thereby establishing the existence of MTSs with activities to convert a common substrate, geranyl diphosphate, to (+)-α-terpineol, 1,8-cineole, γ-terpinene, and (-)-bornyl diphosphate, but were not active with other potential substrates. In conjunction with previously described MTSs that catalyze the formation of (-)-β-pinene and (-)-limonene, the product profiles of the MTSs identified here can explain the generation of all major monoterpene skeletons represented in the volatiles released by different mint organs.

FTIR and electrical behavior of blend electrolytes based on (PVA/PVP)

Solution cast method was used to create the polymer electrolytes. Under certain circumstances, the electrolyte content of polymers was determined using constant percent PVA/PVP(50:50),EC and PC (1:1) with various quantities of KI (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 wt. %) and iodine I2 = 10 % of salt wt. The complicated formation of polymer blends was validated by FTIR investigations. Electrical conductivity was measured using an impedance analyzer at frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to 1MHz and temperatures ranging from 293 K to 343 K. At ambient temperature, an electrolyte with 50% KI content had a higher electrical conductivity value of 5.3 10-3 (S/cm). The magnitude of electrical conductivity increased as salt content and temperature rose. The blend electrolytes' greater dielectric at lower frequencies might be owing to the dipoles having enough time to align with the electric field, resulting in stronger polarisation. The reduction in activation energy (Ea) suggests that faster-conducting electrolytes prefer to move with less energy.

FTIR and electrical behavior of blend electrolytes based on (PVA/PVP)

Solution cast method was used to create the polymer electrolytes. Under certain circumstances, the electrolyte content of polymers was determined using constant percent PVA/PVP(50:50),EC and PC (1:1) with various quantities of KI (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 wt. %) and iodine I2 = 10 % of salt wt. The complicated formation of polymer blends was validated by FTIR investigations. Electrical conductivity was measured using an impedance analyzer at frequencies ranging from 50 Hz to 1MHz and temperatures ranging from 293 K to 343 K. At ambient temperature, an electrolyte with 50% KI content had a higher electrical conductivity value of 5.3 10-3 (S/cm). The magnitude of electrical conductivity increased as salt content and temperature rose. The blend electrolytes' greater dielectric at lower frequencies might be owing to the dipoles having enough time to align with the electric field, resulting in stronger polarisation. The reduction in activation energy (Ea) suggests that faster-conducting electrolytes prefer to move with less energy.

Blends Containing Amphiphilic Biopolymers and their Compatibility Behavior

Abstract: This mini-review deals with the miscibility behaviour of two biopolymers, chitosan and alginate. It is well known that the miscibility in multifunctional polymer blends is favoured due to specific interactions, which origin a negative heat of mixing. Particular interest is focused on functionalized polymers because they are the most suitable way to obtain interacting polymers, producing a single-phase material. Due to the polyfunctionality of chitosan (CS) and other biopolymers, they can be taken into account as a basis of a strongly interacting polymer. They would allow obtaining compatible polymeric materials. For this reason, blends containing CS with different vinyl polymers have been studied. The most significant polymeric blends with these natural polymers will be analyzed in this review. Chitosan is obtained from the biopolymer chitin through sequential processes of demineralization, deproteinization and deacetylation. The native chitin is obtained by direct separation from the marine crustaceans shell, which is abundant on the sea coasts. Some classic results that relate to the polymeric blends containing amphiphilic polymers will be discussed. Another biopolymer of the coast is Sodium Alginate (SA). Alginate also allows the formation of compatible polymer blends. Results in this regard will also be analyzed in this review.

In-vitro biocompatibility studies of nanochitosan/ polyvinylpyrrolidone blends on MC3T3-E1 cells showing beneficial effect in bone tissue engineering

Chitosan is a naturally occurring polymer with numerous biological properties that can be used in the biomedical field. Chitosan was modified to nanochitosan in this study. The polycationic nature of chitosan interacts with polyanions (TPP) to form nanoparticles. The prepared nanochitosan was mixed with polyvinyl pyrollidone to create binary blends with ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1. The polymeric blends were interpreted by using the analytical tools FTIR, XRD and SEM. The results of the FTIR and XRD confirm the formation of binary blends with strong electrostatic interaction. The study aims to investigate the compatibility of the prepared blend as tissue regenerative material. The blends were evaluated in-vitro using fluorscent spectroscopy, MTT assay, NRR assay and ALP assay to study its biocompatibility and cell viability. The results revealed that the quick multiplication followed by a moderate increment in cell number of MC3T3-E1 as cells reacted to the prepared material and hence the materials can be used in the regenerative medicine.

Композиция на основе алициклического сополиимида и полиэтилентерефталата

The addition of polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate and polyurethane to another high molecular weight compound often provides improvement of properties of initial polymerfilms. These compounds can be successfully applied for obtaining of composite films based on polyimides. In the present work, conditions of making polymer composite films with arylalicyclic structured copolyimides and influence of polyethylene terephthalate on them were studied. It was found that, addition of component from 0.5 to 2 wt.% provides retaining of the polymers’ compatibility in the composite. Films formed from solutions of these compositions are transparent, brittleness of the material is not observed and there were little changes in elasticity compared with original copolyimide film. FTIR studies showed that the formation of these polymer blends leads to the interaction of functional groups of the polymers with hydrogen bonds, which determine the blend components compatibility. It has been found that, upon additional heat treatment of the films no more than 250°C, intermolecular crosslinking partially occurs with formation of an oxygen bridge between the amide acids of copolyimide and the added component. Such crosslinking provides increase of heat resistance and strength of the film. It should be noted that, for carrying out extensive research, it is preferable to use a simple method of mechanical mixing for components.

Development of a gamma-ray scintillation detector based on blue-emitting oligomers and ZnO nanoparticles

We report the design of flexible, inexpensive, enduring, and efficient composite scintillation based on polystyrene (PS)/blue-emitting conjugated oligomer (CO)/ZnO nanoparticles. The oligomer utilized was 1,4-bis(9-ethyl-3-carbazo-vinylene)-9,9-dihexyl-fluorene (ADS086BE or BECV-DHF). Polystyrene was used as a matrix, and ZnO NPs were used as γ-ray stoppers. The formation of blends was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and EDS. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images showed micron-sized bun (nearly square)-shaped domains, noodle-like structures, and submicron-sized domains with square-shaped nanosized domains for PS, PS/BECV-DHF, and PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO scintillator samples. The optical properties show that PS/BECV-DHF and PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO had absorption peaks at 350 and 375 nm and fluorescence peaks at 455 nm and 475 nm, respectively. The fabricated scintillators were coupled to the R6094 Hamamatsu Photomultiplier and gamma data acquisition system based on a multichannel analyzer (MCA). Gamma spectra were measured via three gamma-ray sources, Am-241, Cs-137 and Co-60. The results show better scintillation counting in the fabricated PS/BECV-DHF/ZnO than PS/BECV-DHF and the PS sample reference samples.

Meanings of-nomicsin English: FromNixonomicstocoronanomics

Blends have long been a source of new lexical elements in English word formation. Classic examples of such elements include-burgerin words likesoyburgeroroysterburger,-furterin words liketurkeyfurterorchickenfurterand-scapeincloudscapeormanscape. Among more recent examples are-zilla(bridezilla,momzilla),-cation(staycation,mancation) or-splain(ing)(mansplaining,whitesplaining). Some of these have been studied in greater or lesser detail, highlighting various researchers’ interests in the topic, such as regularities in blend formation, formal and semantic patterns of blends, or the emergence of new combining forms from lexical blends (see in particular Baldi & Dawar, 2000; Frath, 2005; Kemmer, 2003; Lalić–Krstin, 2014; Lehrer, 1998; Mattiello, 2017a, 2017b; Panić–Kavgić & Kavgić, 2009).

AN ANALYSIS OF BLENDS IN THE MANHATTAN FISH MARKET ADVERTISEMENTS

Blending presents unique and unusual attractive words in mass media because of its creativity (Beliaeva, 2019). The study aims to: 1) identify types of blends, 2) investigate the semantic relationships of blends, and 3) examine the contribution of splinters in the formation of blends in The Manhattan Fish Market advertisements. Mattiello (2013, 2017) comprehensively classified blends into morphotactic (total and partial), morphological and graphic (overlapping and non-overlapping), and morphosemantic (attributive and coordinative). This study uses Bauer’s (2006, 2012) model to study the semantic relationship between paradigmatic and syntagmatic based on the headedness and meanings of the blend. The Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) contributes many blends inspired by other splinters (e.g., sea-, -licious, -tastic). This study analyses 142 blends to classify the syntactic and semantic categories using a descriptive qualitative research design. The findings show that MFM uses overlapping blends and syntagmatic blends to attract readers. The paradigmatic blends share the same lexical class, while syntagmatic blends share different lexical categories. The subtypes of syntagmatic blends are right-headed (modifier + head) and left-headed (head + modifier). The findings help identify the semantic relations based on the headedness in blends and the contribution of splinters in the formation of blends. The paper concludes that headedness determines the semantic types and function of blends.Keywords: blends, Manhattan Fish Market, headedness, syntagmatic, paradigmatic, splinter

Structure formation and non-linear rheology of blends of plant proteins with pectin and cellulose

Blends of proteins and carbohydrates are of interest because of their ability to form fibrous products that resemble meat products. Here the effect of pectin and cellulose addition is investigated on structuring potential of pea protein isolate (PPI), soy protein isolate (SPI). While SPI and PPI could only be transformed into a homogeneous of layered product, a pronounced fibrous structure could be formed with blends of SPI and pectin, and PPI and pectin (95:5 and 93:7). In the case of SPI blends, a fibrous product was also anisotropic in terms of mechanical properties. For PPI blends, a fibrous morphology was not always accompanied with mechanical anisotropy. Differences in structuring potential of the various blends were further analysed using oscillatory rheological experiments. PPI/carbohydrate and SPI/carbohydrates blends resulted in mushier products than products containing only PPI or SPI. This was most pronounced for blends with pectin, which was attributed to the combined effects of a decrease in pH and/or water redistribution between the two phases.

Phase segregation mechanisms of small molecule‐polymer blends unraveled by varying polymer chain architecture

AbstractAs phase separation between the small‐molecule semiconductor and the polymer binder is the key enabler of blend‐based organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) fabricated by low‐cost solution processing, it is crucial to understand the underlying phase separation mechanisms that determine the phase morphology, which significantly impacts device performance. Beyond the parameter space investigated in previous work, here we investigate the formation of blends by varying the branch architecture of the polymer binder and by shortening the solvent dry time using ultrasonic spray casting. The phase morphologies of the resulting blend films have been thoroughly characterized with a variety of techniques in three dimensions over multiple length scales, including AFM, energy‐filtered transmission electron microscope, and neutron reflectivity, and have been correlated with electrical transport performance. From the results, we have inferred that the phase morphology is kinetically determined, limited by the inherent slow movement of polymer macromolecules. The kinetic picture, supported by molecular dynamics modeling, not only consistently explains our observations but also resolves inconsistencies in previous works. The achieved mechanistic understanding will guide further optimization of blend‐based organic electronics, such as OFETs and organic photovoltaics.