Miscibility and specific interactions in blends of poly(vinyl phenyl ketone hydrogenated) with poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)

The miscibility behavior of poly(vinyl phenyl ketone hydrogenated) (PVPhKH) and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) are studied by differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. Two miscibility windows between 10 to 40 and 60 to 90 wt % PPO are detected. Only the blend with 50 wt % PPO is immiscible. The best fit of the Gordon-Taylor equation of the experimental glass-transition temperatures for miscible PVPhKH/PPO blends is shown. A study by FTIR spectroscopy suggests that hydrogen bonding interactions are formed between the hydroxyl groups of PVPhKH and the ether groups of PPO. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.