Phase continuity and inversion in polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Dual-phase continuity and phase inversion of polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends processed in a twin-screw extruder was investigated using a selective extraction technique and scanning electron microscopy. Emphasis was placed on investigating the effects of viscosity ratio, blend composition, processing variables (mixing time and annealing) and diblock copolymer addition on the formation of bi-continuous phase structure (BPS) in PS/PMMA blends. The experimental results were compared with the volume fraction of phase inversion calculated with various semi-empirical models. The results showed that the formation of a BPS strongly depends on the blend composition and the viscosity ratio of the constituent components. Furthermore, BPS was found in a wide volume fraction interval. Increasing the mixing time and the addition of diblock copolymer, both led to a narrowing range of volume fraction in which BPS exists. Quiescent annealing coarsened the structure but indicated no qualitative changes. Some model predictions for phase inversion could predict qualitative aspects of the observed windows of co-continuity but none of the models could account quantitatively for the observed data. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.