Interfacial and Nanostructural Studies of Polymer Blends

The interfacial properties of a homopolymer [polybutadiene, (PB)], a terpolymer [brominated poly (isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene), (BIMS)], and a random copolymer [poly (styrene-co-butadiene), (SBR)], are reported. Neutron reflectivity (NR) was used to study the interfacial structure and dynamics at a nanometer scale. The results were complemented by small angle neutron scattering (SANS), which was used to probe the interfaces of bulk samples. Both NR and SANS data of PB/BIMS blends suggested that they are immiscible at room temperature, and thermal treatment moderately improve their miscibility.