POLYURETHANE OLEFINIC IONOMER BLENDS - 1 - COMPATIBILITY CHARACTERIZATION

The compatibility behaviour of melt-mixed blends of a polyester-type p olyurethane (PU) with the Zn2+ ionomer of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid-co-isobutylacrylate) terpolymer (Ion., Zn2+) was investigated in the complete composition range. The techniques applied were tensile t esting, dynamic mechanical analysis (d.m.a.), differential scanning ca lorimetry (d.s.c.), Fourier transform infrared (FTi.r.) spectroscopy a nd optical microscopy. Tensile properties were typical of a compatible system and d.m.a. results indicated a miscible blend. FTi.r. results failed to reveal the nature of the specific forces involved in bringin g about compatibilization. Analysis of the thermal data obtained allow ed the determination of a polymer-polymer interaction parameter which had a near zero value at the elevated temperatures where it was determ ined. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.