Surface chemical and morphological properties of a blend containing semi-crystalline and amorphous polymers studied with ToF-SIMS, XPS and AFM

Yu Guo Lei, Zhuo Lin Cheung, Kai Mo Ng, Lin Li, Lu Tao Weng, Chi Ming Chan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

The polymers BA-C8 and 6FBA-C8 were obtained by condensation polymerization of 1,8-dibromo-octane with bisphenol A and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol, respectively. A blend (BA-C8/6FBA-C8 (80/20)) containing 80 wt% of BA-C8 and 20 wt% 6FBA-C8 was prepared. Only one glass transition temperature was detected using a differential scanning calorimeter, suggesting that the blend is miscible. The surface chemical and morphological properties of the blend were studied as BA-C8 crystallized using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and contact angle measurements. The results of the surface analyses showed that the surface of the blend was found to be enriched in the 6FBA-C8 polymer, especially at the crystalline regions. The crystalline regions were found to be raised above the amorphous regions. Surface segregation and crystallization were the two main factors that contributed to the changes in the chemical composition and morphology of the surface.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3883-3890
Number of pages8
JournalPolymer
Volume44
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 13 2003
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Semi-crystalline polymer blend
  • Surface morphology and chemical composition
  • Surface segregation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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