PROPERTIES OF CHLORINATED POLYETHYLENE WAXES POLY(METHYL-METHACRYLATE) BLENDS - DEPENDENCE OF SURFACE-COMPOSITION ON WAX CHLORINE CONTENT AND BLEND COMPOSITION

Chlorinated polyethylene wax/poly(methyl methacrylate) (CPE/PMMA) blen ds have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, stat ic secondary-ion mass spectroscopy and contact angle measurements, and the surface composition has been observed to depend on the chlorine c ontent in the wax and on the blend composition. Dielectric thermal ana lysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis measurements have been u sed to probe the phase structure of the blends and identify the glass transition temperature. These systems exhibit a complex phase behaviou r with a microheterogeneous morphology. The waxes can be divided into two groups, according to their chlorination level: Cl less than or equ al to 48 wt% and Cl > 48 wt%. The extent of specific interactions in t he systems, determined using nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier-tr ansform infra-red spectroscopies, explains the differences in behaviou r. A degree of chlorination > 48 wt% is shown to be necessary for the CPE wax to form a sufficient number of hydrogen bonds to maximize comp atibility with PMMA.