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Polymers
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Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives
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Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 6750

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Iurii Voznyak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland
Interests: polymers; nanocomposites; polymer blends; materials science; shape memory effect; severe plastic deformation; lattice structure; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mixing of two or more polymers is an aspect of technology that has recently received special attention, since mixing represents a new, simple, and efficient method to obtain advanced materials with special properties that cannot be found in individual components. Moreover, contemporary development of new materials with improved properties to meet more stringent and diverse requirements seems to rely more on blending and compounding than on the synthesis of new chemical polymers. The importance of a better understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of blending is therefore undeniable. By mixing at least two polymers, miscible, immiscible, or partially miscible blends can be obtained. In many cases, the polymers are immiscible (i.e., compatible) because the thermodynamic parameters—particularly the entropy and enthalpy of mixing—are unfavorable. For this reason, miscibility or phase separation studies are essential. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present in a comprehensive and updated fashion new advances in the preparation of miscible/immiscible blends, in the understanding of the physical mechanisms of mixing miscible/immiscible polymers, in the control of their structure and properties, and in the possibilities of their practical application.

Dr. Iurii Voznyak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer blends
  • compatibilization and non-compatibilization blending strategies
  • mixing mechanisms and theory
  • mechanics of mixing
  • mechanical and functional properties

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 6460 KiB  
Article
Role of Minor Phase Morphology on Mechanical and Shape-Memory Properties of Polylactide/Bio-Polyamide Nanocomposite
by Vladislav Bondarenko, Ramin Hosseinnezhad and Andrei Voznyak
Polymers 2024, 16(17), 2413; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16172413 - 26 Aug 2024
Viewed by 726
Abstract
In situ-generated nanofibrillar polymer–polymer composites are excellent candidates for the production of polymer materials, with high mechanical and SME properties. Their special feature is the high degree of dispersion of the in situ-generated nanofibers and the ability to form entangled nanofiber structures with [...] Read more.
In situ-generated nanofibrillar polymer–polymer composites are excellent candidates for the production of polymer materials, with high mechanical and SME properties. Their special feature is the high degree of dispersion of the in situ-generated nanofibers and the ability to form entangled nanofiber structures with high aspect ratios through an end-to-end coalescence process, which makes it possible to effectively reinforce the polymer matrix and, in many cases, increase its ductility. The substantial interfacial area, created by the in situ formed fiber/matrix morphology, significantly strengthens the interfacial interactions, which are crucial for shape fixation and shape recovery. Using the polylactide/bio-polyamide (PLA/PA) system as an example, it is shown that in situ PA fibrillation improves the mechanical and shape-memory properties of PLA. The modulus of elasticity increases by a factor of 1.4, the elongation at break increases by a factor of 30, and the shape-strain/fixity ratio and shape recovery increase from 80.2 to 97.4% and from 15.5 to 94.0%, respectively. The morphology of the minor PA phase is crucial. The best result is achieved when a physically entangled nanofibrous network is formed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives)
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14 pages, 3997 KiB  
Article
Change in Concentration of Amorphous Region Due to Crystallization in PTT/PET Miscible Blends
by Kousuke Sugeno and Hiromu Saito
Polymers 2024, 16(16), 2332; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16162332 - 17 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 972
Abstract
In a miscible crystalline/crystalline blend of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), the PET spherulites grew at 240 °C when the PTT content was 30 wt% or less. The growth rate of PET spherulites decreased with time due to the exclusion of [...] Read more.
In a miscible crystalline/crystalline blend of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), the PET spherulites grew at 240 °C when the PTT content was 30 wt% or less. The growth rate of PET spherulites decreased with time due to the exclusion of PTT from the growth front of PET spherulites into the amorphous region, resulting in a three-stage crystallization process. Due to the exclusion, the spherulite growth stopped before the volume filling of the PET spherulites, causing the formation of an excluded PTT amorphous region. When the temperature was lowered from 240 °C to 210 °C, the PTT spherulites grew in the excluded PTT amorphous region. The spherulite growth rate of PTT in the excluded PTT amorphous region was equivalent to that of a blend of 60–70 wt% PTT in 30/70 PTT/PET. These results suggest a significant change in the PTT concentration in the amorphous region, from the initial PTT content of 30 wt% to 60–70 wt%, due to the exclusion of PTT during the melt crystallization of PET at 240 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives)
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13 pages, 4619 KiB  
Article
On the Mechanical, Thermal, and Rheological Properties of Polyethylene/Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polypropylene Blends
by Vishal Gavande, Mingi Jeong and Won-Ki Lee
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4236; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214236 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2362
Abstract
The novel ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene (UHMWPP) as a dispersed component was melt blended with conventional high-density polyethylene (PE) and maleic anhydride grafted-polyethylene (mPE) in different proportions through a kneader. Ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene is a high-performance polymer material that has excellent mechanical [...] Read more.
The novel ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene (UHMWPP) as a dispersed component was melt blended with conventional high-density polyethylene (PE) and maleic anhydride grafted-polyethylene (mPE) in different proportions through a kneader. Ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene is a high-performance polymer material that has excellent mechanical properties and toughness compared to other polymers. Mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties were presented for various UHMWPP loadings, and correlations between mechanical and rheological properties were examined. Optimal comprehensive mechanical properties are achieved when the UHMWPP content reaches approximately 50 wt%, although the elongation properties do not match those of pure PE or mPE. However, it is worth noting that the elongation properties of these blends did not match those of PE or mPE. Particularly, for the PE/UHMWPP blends, a significant drop in tensile strength was observed as the UHMWPP content decreased (from 30.24 MPa for P50U50 to 13.12 MPa for P90U10). In contrast, the mPE/UHMWPP blends demonstrated only minimal changes in tensile strength (ranging from 29 MPa for mP50U50 to 24.64 MPa for mP90U10) as UHMWPP content varied. The storage modulus of the PE/UHMWPP blends increased drastically with the UHMWPP content due to the UHMWPP chain entanglements and rigidity. Additionally, we noted a substantial reduction in the melt index of the blend system when the UHMWPP content exceeded 10% by weight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives)
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15 pages, 11468 KiB  
Article
Phase-Separated Structure of NBR/PVC Blends with Different Acrylonitrile Contents Investigated Using STEM–EDS Mapping Analysis
by Yuka Komori, Aoi Taniguchi, Haruhisa Shibata, Shinya Goto and Hiromu Saito
Polymers 2023, 15(16), 3343; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15163343 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1718
Abstract
We investigated the phase-separated structure of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blends with different acrylonitrile (AN) contents in the NBR, using dynamic mechanical analysis measurements and scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy (STEM)–energy-dispersive-X-ray-spectroscopy (EDS) elemental analysis. Two separate sharp tan δ peaks were observed in the blend [...] Read more.
We investigated the phase-separated structure of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blends with different acrylonitrile (AN) contents in the NBR, using dynamic mechanical analysis measurements and scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy (STEM)–energy-dispersive-X-ray-spectroscopy (EDS) elemental analysis. Two separate sharp tan δ peaks were observed in the blend at the lower AN content of 18.0%, whereas a broad peak was observed in the blends with the higher AN contents of 29.0 and 33.5%, due to the increase in miscibility, as expected from the decrease in the solubility parameter difference with the increasing AN content. The STEM–EDS elemental analysis for the concentration distribution showed that the NBR was mixed in the large PVC domains with a diameter of several micrometers, and the excluded PVC existed around the interface of the domain–matrix phases in the blend with the lower AN content, whereas small domains with a diameter of several tens of nanometers were dispersed in the blend with the higher AN content. The concentration difference in PVC between the PVC domain and the NBR matrix became smaller with increasing miscibility as the AN content increased although the blends contained the same PVC content of 40 wt%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives)
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