MORPHOLOGY OF POLY(P-PHENYLENE SULFIDE) POLYETHYLENE BLENDS

Blends of poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and polyethylene (PE) of various component ratios were prepared via melt mixing in a laboratory-scale internal mixer. Cryogenically fractured surfaces of these blends were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. General morphological features including the domain size and the phase inversion process were discussed in terms of droplet dispersion during melt mixing and phase coarsening after cessation of flow. Interestingly, the surface of dispersed PE particles showed distinct features of protruding fibrils whereas the surface of dispersed PPS particles was characterized by an orange-peel appearance. These were explained in terms of the sequential crystallization of the two phases and the loose packing of PPS crystallites in the intermediate stage of solidification.