Physical and Morphological Properties of Tough and Transparent PMMA-Based Blends Modified with Polyrotaxane

Abstract

We prepared several novel, tough, and transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends modified with polyrotaxane (PR) and evaluated their physical properties and morphologies. A styrene/methyl methacrylate/maleic anhydride (SMM) copolymer that was miscible with PMMA was used as a reactive compatibilizer to enhance interfacial adhesion between the matrix resin and PR. A twin-screw melt-kneading extruder was used to prepare the polymer blends, and their thermal, morphological, optical, and mechanical properties were characterized. The effect of PR was evaluated by analyzing the deformation behavior of the blends in notched three-point bending tests. A PMMA/PR blend was immiscible and appeared to be a phase-separated system. However, when SMM was added as a compatibilizer, PR was partially miscible and did not form observable PR domains. Viscosity increased, and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the matrix resin decreased. The surface hardness of a PMMA/SMM/PR blend was only 15% lower than that of PMMA. A 2.5-fold increase in elongation at breakage was observed, and the tensile strength and Young’s modulus decreased by 16%. The PMMA/SMM/PR blend had 60% higher impact strength than PMMA in notched Charpy impact test, which indicated that the balance between stiffness and ductility was excellent. PR served as a starting point for plastic deformation in the PMMA/SMM/PR blend. We found that PR could initiate void and craze formation, even when it was finely dispersed at the nanoscale. The stress-relieving effect of PR was effective when it was tightly bound at the interfaces. The materials obtained in this study are expected to make a significant contribution to reducing the weight of the products by applying them as a replacement for glass.

Fracture Behavior of Polyrotaxane-Toughened Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)

“…More importantly, it was shown that the PR domains promote plastic deformation in the blend and it initiated void and craze formation, which accounted for the reported improvements in toughness. 31 Pruksawan et al showed that PR, containing PCL-grafted CD, can be used to toughen epoxy adhesives without having phase-separated morphology. In this case, adding PR resulted in an increase in adhesive strength and fracture toughness without deteriorating the modulus.…”

“…28−30 Ishigami et al utilized a styrene/ methyl methacrylate/maleic anhydride (SMM) copolymer to enhance the interfacial adhesion between PMMA and PR blends. 31 It was shown that PR can promote void and craze formation, leading to improvements in the impact strength of the PMMA/SMM/PR blends. These studies have implied that PR may be a promising material to toughen PMMA.…”

Preparation and Applications of Electrospun Optically Transparent Fibrous Membrane

“…For instance, Park et al [ 41 ] adopted a biomass-derived isosorbide instead of bisphenol A to prepare a PC nanocomposite with higher transmittance than pure PC. Moreover, PET [ 42 ], PMMA [ 43 ], and PS [ 44 ] are also introduced as a transparent matrix for their low crystallinity. Kim et al [ 45 ] mimicked the surface structure of the Progomphus obscurus (sanddragon) wing, physically killing the attached bacteria, and they prepared a transparent, colorless, and self-disinfecting polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film by plasma treatment.…”

Physical Properties of Slide-Ring Material Reinforced Ethylene Propylene Diene Rubber Composites

“…Research has been conducted on the preparation of rubber composites using SR material with significant mechanical strength and damping performance [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Wang et al prepared natural rubber/SR material high damping composites for the first time [ 16 ].…”