Influence of molecular interactions on spherulite morphology in miscible poly(ethylene oxide)/epoxy network versus poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(4-vinyl phenol) blend

Relationships between the spherulite morphology and changes in hydrogen-bonding interactions between the linear poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer and a crosslinking epoxy system (diglycidylether of bisphenol-A resin with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone) (DGEBA/DDS) before and after cure have been explored The hydrogen-bonding interaction is more significant before cure because of the interactions between the ether group of PEO and the amine group of DDS. The interaction between PEO and epoxy/DDS becomes less in the cured network. The morphology of the PEO crystals is, in turn, affected by the contents and chemical structures (functional groups, molecular weights, crosslinks, etc) of crosslinking epoxy/DDS. PEO/poly(4-vinyl phenol) (PVPh), a thermoplastic non-curing miscible system with the hydrogen bonding between the ether group of PEO and the -OH group of PVPh, is also compared. In comparison with the PEO/epoxy/DDS system, the spherulite morphology of PEO/PVPh becomes more extensively spread out, with the extents increasing with the PVPh contents in the PEO/PVPh blend. (C) 2001 Society of Chemical Industry.