Transparent PC/PMMA Blends with Enhanced Mechanical Properties via Reactive Compounding of Functionalized Polymers

Abstract

Reactive compounding of terminally phenolic OH-functionalized polycarbonate (PC) with epoxy-functionalized polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) prepared by copolymerization with glycidyl methacrylate was investigated. It was spectroscopically demonstrated that a PC/PMMA copolymer was formed during the melt reaction of the functional groups. Zirconium acetylacetonate could catalytically accelerate this reaction. Correlations of the phenomenological (optical and mechanical) properties with the molecular level and mesoscopic (morphological) structure were discussed. By the investigated reactive compounding process, transparent PC/PMMA blends with two-phase morphologies were obtained in a continuous twin-screw extruder, which, for the first time, combined the high transmission of visible light with excellent mechanical performance (e.g., synergistically improved tensile and flexural strength and high scratch resistance). The transparency strongly depended on (a) the degree of functionalization in both PC and PMMA, (b) the presence of the catalyst, and (c) the residence time of the compounding process. The in-situ-formed PC/PMMA copolymer influenced the observed macroscopic properties by (a) a decrease in the interphase tension, leading to improved and stabilized phase dispersion, (b) the formation of a continuous gradient of the polymer composition and thus of the optical refractive indices in a diffuse mesoscopic interphase layer separating the PC and PMMA phases, and (c) an increase in the phase adhesion between PC and PMMA due to mechanical polymer chain entanglement in this interphase.

Inorganic Particles Contribute to the Compatibility of Polycarbonate/Polystyrene Polymer Blends

“…Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a transparent thermoplastic similar to PS, but depending on its molecular weight, it may not be possible to produce transparent molded products when blended with PC [ 11 , 12 ]. Some attempts have been made to improve the mechanical properties of PMMA by increasing its reaction compatibility, but there is concern that its moldability may be inferior to that of PC due to its increased viscosity [ 13 ]. From the above points, it was considered that PS would be more effective in achieving the objectives of the study.…”

Weld Strength of Friction Welding of Dissimilar Polymer Rods Fabricated by Fused Deposition Modeling

“…Fuse deposition modeling (FDM) is a common material extrusion (MEX) process. FDM [17,18] has been widely utilized for the production of prototypes, which is a process of fabricating physical models using materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) [19], polyamide (PA) [20], polycarbonate (PC) [21], or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) [22][23][24]. Bernal et al [25] utilized impulse excitation technique to obtain an effective isotropic Young's modulus of FDM-printed thermoplastic materials used in topology optimization design.…”

Poly(methyl methacrylate) Nanoparticles Grafted with Gold‐L‐Cysteine as a Water Cleaning Material for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Paracetamol

“…In fact, functionalization of the PMMA surface provided these polymers with more practical applications [14–16] . On the other hand, among a variety of metallic nanoparticles, gold has been used as an efficient catalyst in many reaction systems due to its environmental compatibility and its ability to inhibit or minimize the formation of free radicals during photodegradation of organic molecules and therefore avoid molecular chain recombination processes [17–20] . Moreover, L‐cysteine was used as an eco‐friendly reducing agent of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), instead of the sodium citrate, ascorbic acid, and sodium borohydride reducing agents which could contribute to environmental pollution [21–23] …”

“…[14][15][16] On the other hand, among a variety of metallic nanoparticles, gold has been used as an efficient catalyst in many reaction systems due to its environmental compatibility and its ability to inhibit or minimize the formation of free radicals during photodegradation of organic molecules and therefore avoid molecular chain recombination processes. [17][18][19][20] Moreover, Lcysteine was used as an eco-friendly reducing agent of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), instead of the sodium citrate, ascorbic acid, and sodium borohydride reducing agents which could contribute to environmental pollution. [21][22][23] In the present work, we hereby propose a successful strategy to activate the PMMA surface by grafting an amino acid, L-cysteine (C 3 H 7 NO 2 S), that can provide the strong electron donor functional groups: amine (À NH 2 ), carboxylic (À COOH), and thiol (À SH) to reduce gold ions in solution and attach the resulting gold nanoparticles to the surface of the polymer nanospheres.…”