Polymer Bulletin, Vol.73, No.1, 65-73, 2016
Crystalline polymorph transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/acrylic rubber(ACM)/clay partially miscible hybrid
This study investigates the intercalation of nanoclay in partially miscible blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and acrylic rubber(ACM). Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction technique were used to investigate the formation of nanoscale polymer blend/clay hybrids. Using Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray analysis, the different polymorph formation in PVDF nanocomposite and conjugated phases of partially miscible nanocomposite was studied. Nanoclay was found to induce beta and gamma polymorphs while ACM tend to induce alpha phase in this polymer system. It was shown that PVDF chains in ACM-rich phase of partially miscible nanocomposites interact with ACM chains which in return form alpha polymorph in the presence of ACM. Further observations revealed that nanoclay in alpha polymorph is wrapped by ACM molecules.