COLLOIDAL SCALE BLENDS OF POLY(P-BENZAMIDE) WITH SULFONATED POLYSTYRENE AND POLY(VINYL ACETATE)

Polymer composites containing the rigid poly(p-benzamide) (PEA) and th e flexible sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) or poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA) a re prepared using a two-step method. The SEM micrographs show that bot h PBA-SPS and PBA-PVA composites contain particles in the colloidal ra nge, with sizes around 50 nm. The FT-i.r. spectra reveal that there ar e strong interactions between PEA and SPS; those between PEA and PVA a re weaker. Two successive thermal scannings suggested that these collo idal scale dispersions are kinetically rather than thermodynamically s table. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.