CHARACTERIZING THE SURFACE CONFIGURATION AND MORPHOLOGY OF POLYOLEFIN COPOLYMERS AND BLENDS BY SFG VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY AND AFM

摘要

The variables that influence the surface morphology of polyolefin copolymers and blends were studied by SFG, XPS, and AFM. Hydrophobic side branches strongly order at air interfaces, influencing the surface behavior of blends. At liquid interfaces, the side branches can restructure, depending on specific hydrophobic attraction/repulsion between the polymer and liquid phases. The results show that surface morphologies of polyolefins can be prepared with a great deal of control by changing the side branching, miscibility, and the contacting interface. Ongoing work involves extension of the results to PB/PP and PB/EPR blends.