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Applying an electric field is an efficient way to fabricate polymer/clay nanocomposites. It helps to achieve a good dispersion of nanoclays which improves the performance of the polymeric system. In this study, the effect of an alternating current (A.C.) electric field was investigated on clay exfoliation with various combinations of polymer/clay nanocomposites. Three different types of organoclays (Cloisite 10A, 20A, 30B) were introduced in polypropylene (PP) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrices. Their rheological properties showed that the A.C. electric field was effective in enhancing the dispersion of organoclays in both the PP/clay and PLA/clay composites. The efficiency of the A.C. field varied depending on the combination of polymer and clay nanoparticles. In the case of PP, the best combination was PP/C20A followed by PP/C10A and PP/C30B. In contrast, PLA/clay showed an opposite trend. This difference arises from the different affinities between the polymers and the functional groups of the clays. The Hansen solubility parameter was introduced to quantify the affinities between the polymer and clay. The electric field was more effective for polymer/clay combinations that had less difference in the Hansen solubility parameter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43582.

In this study, we investigated clay migration and its localization in multiphase blend nanocomposite systems during the evolution of blend morphology to elucidate how a hydrodynamic stress and chemical affinity between the polymer and clay induce them. To observe the morphology evolution, a multilayered blend, alternatively superposed poly(butylenes terephthalate) (PBT) and polystyrene (PS)/clay films or PBT/clay and PS films, was subjected to homogeneous shear flow, 1 s−1. Furthermore, the morphology was observed at different shear rates 1 s−1. When the PBT/(PS/clay) multilayered blend is subjected to flow, the clay dispersed in the PS layer first migrates to the interface depending on the amount of applied strain. The clay at the interface causes the average drop size of blend morphology to become smaller and the blend morphology becomes more stable because of the coalescence suppression effect. As more shear is applied, the clay at the interface moves further into more compatible phase, PBT, although the viscosity of PBT is higher than PS. On the contrary, the clay in the PBT layer does not migrate to the PS phase at any shear rate, which means that its chemical affinity is strong enough to prevent shear-induced migration. The clay increases the viscosity of the PBT phase and results in a different morphology with a droplet, cocontinuous structure. As a result, when the clay is induced to migrate by hydrodynamic stress, it migrates into thermodynamically more stable positions at the interface or in the chemically more compatible phase, depending on the applied strain. Once it is located at a thermodynamically more stable position, it is difficult to push it out only by hydrodynamic stress. The location of clay is significantly affected by the morphology during evolution, which means that the blend morphology can control the droplet form and cocontinuous structure by control of the clay migration kinetics. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008

In this study, polypropylene (PP)/clay nanocomposites containing different concentrations of ethylene-methacrylic acid ionomer (i.e. Surlyn®) were prepared, and the effect of ionomer on clay dispersion was studied via WAXD, rheology, SEM, and TEM. The role of the ionomer in the nanocomposites was compared with that of maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP-g-MA), which has been widely used as a compatibilizer in making PP/clay nanocomposites. With an increase in the concentration of compatibilizer, the position of d001 peak of OMMT shifted toward a lower angle for PP-g-MA system, while the position remained almost unchanged for Surlyn system, in which a larger interlayer spacing (d001) was found with respect to the former. In rheology, the addition of the ionomer led to a gradual increase in both moduli and complex viscosity, and the nonterminal behavior at low frequency was observed in both systems. In addition, the ternary hybrid containing 20 wt % Surlyn achieved the largest enhancement in relative viscosity, which was more than that of the nanocomposite prepared from pure Surlyn or pure PP, presumably indicative of the existence of strong interaction between the components. Finally, SEM and TEM micrographs demonstrated that exfoliated structure was preferred for PP/Surlyn/OMMT hybrids, while intercalated morphology for PP/PP-g-MA/OMMT. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 4024–4034, 2007

In this study, we have investigated morphology evolution of polymer blends during extrusion. By choosing two polymers, high density polyethylene (PE) and poly (1,4-butylene terephthalate) (PBT), having a large difference in melting temperature, we could control the viscosity ratio of the blend as well as the morphology. The morphology of the dispersed phase evolved from film to fibril and to droplet structure depending on thermal and deformation history. We could maintain the film or fibril structure in a final product by keeping the dispersed phase deformable and rigid enough to avoid the relaxation that is related with instability originating from the interfacial tension. The anisotropic structures (film and fibril) were found to enhance the rheological properties significantly, but in different manners under shear and extensional flow fields. This study shows that diverse morphology can be obtained by controlling processing conditions, and the rheological properties can be dramatically enhanced by morphology control.

High-impact polystyrene (HIPS) was prepared by the bulk or low-solvent polymerization of styrene in the presence of dissolved rubber and characterized to measure the dispersed particle size of the rubber phase. Before preparation, the prepolymerization time was established by measuring the evolution of particle size distribution of the dispersed phase as a function of reaction time. The measurement technique by laser light scattering was found to be efficient enough not only to lead to the right prepolymerization time but also to predict rubber-phase particle size distribution. Polymerization experiments were then conducted to investigate the effect of solvent contents on the particle size distribution of the rubber phase, in which ethylbenzene was introduced as a solvent at levels of 0, 3, 10, and 15%. As the solvent content increased, the size of rubber-phase particles initially increased, reaching a maximum, and then decreased. It is speculated that a decrease in the molecular weight of the matrix, a decrease in the viscosity ratio between polybutadiene to polystyrene phases, and a change in rubber morphology all contributed to the change in the rubber particle size of HIPS. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3672–3679, 2003

The homogeneous polycarbonate/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (PC/ABS) nanocomposite thin films were prepared by a facile solvent casting method using phenylene modified-mesoporous silica materials as additives and dichloromethane as a solvent. The physicochemical analyses using small-angle X-ray scattering, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, solid-state 13C and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning electron microscope were investigated to provide clear physical and chemical properties for modified-mesoporous materials and nanocomposite films. Tensile tests were performed at room temperature according to ASTM D638. Rheological properties were also analyzed to observe any variance of solid–liquid property. As a compatibilizer and a reinforcing filler, mesoporous (organo-)silicas showed enhanced features in rheological and mechanical properties. The sound absorption coefficient was measured by the impedance tube up to 6400 Hz according to ISO 10534-2. It was found that the PC/ABS nanocomposites containing mesoporous materials can be used as a sound-proofing support material depending on fabrication process. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 135, 45777.