Marginal miscibility and solvent-dependent phase behavior in solution-blended poly(vinyl methyl ether)/poly(benzyl methacrylate)

Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) and poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PBzMA) were found to be miscible using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy (OM), and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Solvents and casting t emperatures strongly affect the kinetics of the formation of blends and lea d to different phase structures of the blends. The thermal transition behav ior of the PVME/PBzMA blend suggests a marginal miscibility. Various scales of molecular aggregation might exist in the blends. According to FT-IR the intermolecular interactions are weak and not specific, which is in agreeme nt with the glass transition behavior of the blends. Additionally, this stu dy also shows that PVME is immiscible with any other polymethacrylate, such as poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethyl methacrylate), poly(propyl methac rylate), poly(phenyl methacrylate), poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), etc.