Effect of Oligomer Addition on Tube Dilation in Polymer Nanocomposite Melts

Yi Feng, Ruhao Li, Christopher Mbonu, Pinar Akcora

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of adding oligomers on the rheological properties of polymer nanocomposite melts with the goal of enhancing the processability of nanocomposites. The scaling analysis of plateau modulus (GN) is used in understanding the complex mechanical behavior of entangled poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) melts upon oligomer addition. Increasing the oligomer amount led to a decrease in GN and an apparent degree of entanglement (Z) in the neat polymer melt. The particle dispersion states at two particle loadings with oligomer addition are examined in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The dilution exponent is found unchanged at 7 and 17 vol% particle loadings for the well-dispersed PMA-SiO2 nanocomposites compared to the neat PMA solution. These findings suggest that attractive particles with strong interfacial layers do not influence the tube dilution scaling of the polymer with the oligomer. To the contrary, composites with weak polymer-particle interfaces demonstrate phase separation of particles when oligomers are introduced and its exponent for tube dilution scaling reaches 4 at a particle loading of 17 vol%, potentially indicating that network-forming clusters influence chain entanglements in this scenario.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2300620
JournalMacromolecular Rapid Communications
Volume45
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2024

Keywords

  • plasticizer
  • poly(methyl acrylate)
  • polymer nanocomposites
  • rheology
  • scaling
  • tube diameter
  • tube dilation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of Oligomer Addition on Tube Dilation in Polymer Nanocomposite Melts'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this