An investigation of the microstructure of a cryogenically mechanically alloyed polycarbonate-poly(aryl ether ether ketone) system

摘要

This work investigates processing-microstructure relationships of a model cryogenically mechanically alloyed polymer-polymer system consisting of polycarbonate (PC) and poly(aryl ether ether ketone) (PEEK). Powders mechanically alloyed for 10 hours were imaged via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and were shown to have a two-phase microstructure physically mixed on a sub-micron level. These powders were processed into coupons using a laboratory scale ram-injection molder, and the resulting microstructure of the coupons was investigated as a function of mechanical alloying and injection molding parameters. Atomic force microscopy, TEM, and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy all revealed that the intimate blending achieved during the mechanical alloying process was not retained upon post-processing using this conventional polymer processing technique. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. [References: 21]