IUPAC

The P-alpha-MSAN/PMMA and PMMA components have been selected to have very similar melt viscosity, viscoelasticity and temperature dependence at 230 C. Miscible blends are obtained below 160 C. Annealing at elevated temperatures creates phase separation and various morphologies (droplets or co-continuous structure) at constant composition. The project aims to investigate the effect of blend morphology (detected by microscopy or light scattering) on rheological properties of the melt (mechanical spectroscopy, viscosity function and melt elasticity) and on the mechanical behaviour in the solid state. Focus will be put on the manifestation of the interface in the dynamic-mechanical behaviour of the melt. In addition morphological changes due to simple flow situations (shear and elongational flow) will be investigated. The P MSAN component will also be used to compare the degree of agreement in mechanical spectroscopy and viscosity function measurements from various laboratories. This international collaborative study also intends to address areas of missing knowledge.

"Rheological and mechanical properties of poly(alpha-methyl-co-acrylonitrile)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends in miscible and phase separated regimes of various morphologies:"
Part 1. Characterization of constituents, blend preparation, and overview on blend morphology, Pure Appl. Chem.70, pp. 1547-1566, 1998.
Part 2. Limits of miscibility in the quiescent state and during flow, by V. Schytt and J. Lyngaae-Jorgensen, Polym. Networks Blends 7, 77-86 (1997).

"Manifestation of phase separation processes in oscillatory shear: droplet-matrix systems vesus co-continuous morphologies", by I. Vinckier and H.M. Laun, Rheol. Acta. 38, 274-286 (1999).

"Manifestation of spinodal decomposition in oscillatory shear measurements", by I. Vinckier and H.M. Laun, Macromol. Symp. 149, 151-156 (2000).

"Rheology and morphology of phase-separating polymer blends", by Z.I. Zhang, H.D. Zhang, Y.L. Yang, I. Vinckier and H.M. Laun
Macromolecules 34, 1416-1429 (2001).

"Compatibility of poly(a-methylstyrene-co-acrylonitrile) with PMMA. A neutron and cloud point study", by D.W. Schubert, Mat. Res. Innovat. 4, 353-359 (2001).

"Assessment of the Doi-Ohta theory for co-continuous blends under oscillatory flow", by I. Vinckier and H.M. Laun, J. Rheol. 45, 1373-1385 (2001).

"Interfacial tension in a LCST blend: Effect of temperature, blend composition and deformation of the interphase', by I. Vinckier, T. Schweizer and H. M. Laun, J. Polym. Sci. Part B 40, 679-690 (2002).

"Consistent analysis of cloud points and spinodal - compatibility of P(aMS -co-AN) and P(MA-co-MMA)", by F. Havermeyer and D. W. Schubert, Mat. Res. Innovat. 6, 185-188 (2002).

"The role of pressure and dissipative heating in capillary rheometry of polymer melts", by H. M. Laun
Rheol. Acta 2002, in press

"Rheological and mechanical properties of poly(a-methylstyrene-co-
acrylonitrile)/ poly[(methyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate)] blends in miscible and phase separated regimes of various morphologies. Part 4. Influence of the morphology on the mechanical properties", by V. Altstädt, L. de Lucca Freitas and D. W. Schubert
Pure Appl. Chem. 76(2), 389-413, 2004