Interaction parameters for blends containing polycarbonates: 2. Tetramethyl bisphenol A polycarbonate-styrene copolymers

Abstract

The phase behaviour of binary blends of tetramethyl bisphenol A polycarbonate (TMPC) and styrene copolymers with methyl methacrylate (SMMA) and acrylonitrile (SAN) has been re-examined as a function of copolymer composition. The interaction parameters for TMPC blends with each SAN copolymer and each SMMA copolymer were evaluated from the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type phase boundary using the lattice fluid theory of Sanchez and Lacombe. From such information for several copolymer compositions, bare interaction parameters for various monomer unit pairs, DELTA-P(ij)*, were calculated using a binary interaction model. The interactions of styrene with the methyl methacrylate monomer units and with TMPC were weakly repulsive, while those of acrylonitrile with the styrene monomer units and with TMPC were strongly repulsive. The phase behaviour at the critical composition suggests that there exists an optimum content of MMA and AN in the copolymer at which the interactions are most favourable. Thermodynamic analysis based on the lattice fluid theory shows that the more favourable interactions of TMPC blends with some SAN and SMMA copolymers relative to polystyrene (PS) are achieved by different routes. A more negative energetic term caused by strong intramolecular repulsion between S and AN and a reduced compressibility effect are the main reasons why TMPC blends with certain SAN copolymers have higher LCST than do blends with PS. Compressibility or equation-of-state effects, especially the decrease in the characteristic temperature difference between TMPC and SMMA as MMA content increases, is the main reason why certain SMMA copolymers have higher LCST than PS when blended with TMPC. Note that the intramolecular repulsion between S and MMA is weak.