Phase Inversion of Polybutadiene/Polyisoprene Blends Under Quiescent and Shear Conditions

Published

January 1, 2001

Author(s)

H Jeon, A Nakatani, Erik K. Hobbie, Charles C. Han

Abstract

We investigate the effect of phase inversion on the domain morphology and rheological properties of phase-separated polybutadiene/polyisoprene blends using optical microscopy, light scattering, and rheometry. Two different blends, low-vinyl polybutadiene/low-vinyl polyisoprene (LPB/LPI) and low-vinyl polybutadiene/high-vinyl polyisoprene (LPB/HPI), were used in this study. The LPB/LPI blend has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of (62 1) C, while the LPB/HPI blend exhibits upper-critical-solution-temperature (UCST) behavior with a critical temperature above the experimentally accessible temperature window. We determine the quiescent phase-inversion composition (fLPI = 0.55 0.05) of phase-separated LPB/LPI blends from the discontinuity in the dynamic storage modulus and shear viscosity. For LPB/HPI, we find that a coexisting structure (apparent as a walnut-like light-scattering pattern) develops due to a shear-induced phase inversion at a fixed composition (fHPI = 0.8) and constant temperature. The coexisting morphology consists of two different anisotropic structures; string-like domains and small (x < 1 mm) vorticity-aligned domains.

Citation

Langmuir

Volume

17(10)

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

emulsions, light scattering, microscopy, phase inversion, polymer blends, shear flow

Citation

Jeon, H. , Nakatani, A. , Hobbie, E. and Han, C. (2001), Phase Inversion of Polybutadiene/Polyisoprene Blends Under Quiescent and Shear Conditions, Langmuir, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=851766 (Accessed October 17, 2025)