Mechanism and Compatibilization Effect of Nanoparticles in Polymer Blends

Abstract

Blending of polymers is one of the useful methods for developing polymeric materials with improved properties or creating special properties in polymers. The mixture of some polymers is completely or partially miscible, but the mixture of many polymers is immiscible and their microsructure will be multiphase due to high molecular weight and undesirable interactions. Extensive research has been conducted on the development of blend compatibilization approaches. Surface modifcation of polymers, addition of block copolymers, reactive compatibilization, crosslinking, interpenetrating networks, and more recently the addition of fllers in the micro and nano dimensions are some of the methods used to improve the compatibility of mixtures. The reduction of modulus and its related properties, when adding polymeric compatibilizers has caused researchers to pay more attention to nanoparticles and their compatibility effect. Compatibility mechanisms of polymer blends using nanoparticles can be divided into two modes based on their location in the blend. Firs, nanoparticles in the matrix phase, by forming a three-dimensional network and increasing the viscosity, apply more sress to the dispersed phase, reduce the size of the dispersed regions, and then reduce the coalescence phenomena of dispersed particles. In the second case, the nanoparticles, by locating at the interface between the matrix and dispersed phases reduce the interfacial sress and increase the interfacial adhesion. Also, in this case, they prevent the integration of scattered phase droplets. In this paper, the effect of nanoparticle compatibility on polymer blends, mechanisms, and the afecting sructural factors are reviewed

Keywords

• polymer blends
• compatibilization
• nanoparticles
• interface
• 3d network