VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES OF ENTANGLED POLYMER .4. BINARY BLENDS OF MONODISPERSE HOMOPOLYMERS

In a previous publication from this Laboratory, the Rouse—Bueche-Zimm molecular theory of viscoelasticity has been extended by using a transient network model to Appl.y to monodisperse polymers with chain entanglements. Effects of the entanglements were modeled both by the enhanced frictional coefficients and by the additional elastic couplings resulting from the transient entanglement network. For binary blends consisting of two monodisperse polymers with different molecular weights, additional modifications are now required to predict their linear viscoelastic behavior. It is recognized that entanglements not only may form between chains of the same length, but also between those of different lengths. For the latter case, the longer chain will in fact have the frictional coefficient of the shorter chain at the point of entanglement. The frequency of such interactions is assumed to be proportional to the weight ratio of the respective component chains in the blend. Equations of motion are formulated for each component and solved numerically for the relaxation spectra. Linear viscoelastic parameters such as the dynamic mechanical moduli, stress relaxation moduli, and zero shear viscosity can then be computed for the blends by linear summation of those of the components. The reduced steady state shear compliance of the blends can also be computed from knowledge of the component relaxation times. Results are found to be in excellent agreement with literature data on polystyrene, poly(dim-ethyl siloxane), and poly(methyI methacrylate). © 1979, The Society of Rheology. All rights reserved.