Measuring the interfacial tension of polymers in the presence of an interfacial modifier: Migrating the modifier to the interface

✍ Scribed by N. Chapleau; B. D. Favis; P. J. Carreau

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 317 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0887-6266
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0488(199808)36:11<1947::aid-polb16>3.0.co;2-7

✦ Synopsis

Compared to the dynamic mixing process used in melt blending operations, most techniques for measuring the interfacial tension can be considered as virtually static. For this reason, in order to measure the interfacial tension of an A-B immiscible system in the presence of an interfacial modifier, the problem of migrating the modifier to the interface is a central issue. In this study, the influence of the addition of an interfacial modifier, a polyethylene copolymer ionomer, on the interfacial tension between two high-density polyethylenes and a polyamide is investigated. The breaking thread method is used and the interfacial tension is measured as a function of ionomer content. In order to enhance the likelihood of placing the modifier in closer proximity to the interface, various sample preparations are compared. In all cases, the interfacial tension significantly drops with increasing ionomer content and tends to a limiting value. It is shown, however, that the preparation of the system for the breaking thread experiment via coextrusion using a conical die brings the modifier in closest proximity to the interface. With this approach an additional 1.45 times reduction of the interfacial tension at 10% compatibilizer concentration (based on the mass of HDPE) is observed compared to the classical technique of preparation. Confirmation of this effect is demonstrated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy where analysis of the thread surface of the system prepared by coextrusion indicates a more than fourfold enrichment of interfacial modifier.