STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF AN INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORK-LIKE SYSTEM CONSISTING OF POLYSTYRENE-POLYETHYLENE .2. ELECTRON-MICROSCOPICINVESTIGATION

Polyethylene-polystyrene (PE-PS) interpenetrating polymer network-like materials with various ratios of PE/PS were prepared. A morphological study using a transmission electron microscopic technique showed that with increasing content of styrene in the system the frequency distri bution of the diameter of PS particles becomes increasingly broader an d a foam-like structure is formed. Contractions at polymerization and crosslinking as well as interfacial tensile forces are responsible for the IPN morphology. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.