Compatibilizing effects of poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) on immiscible blends of polystyrene and poly(ethylene glycol)

In this study, compatibilizing effects of poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (P(S-co-MAA)) with various MAA contents on immiscible blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends are investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It is found by SEM observation that the sizes of dispersed droplets in PS/PEG blends are decreasing with increasing P(S-co-MAA) contents. Therefore, P(S-co-MAA)s act as compatibilizing agents for PS/PEG blends. On the basis of FT-IR analysis, the compatibilizing effects of P(S-co-MAA) on PS/PEG blends is explained by the associative interaction between MAA unit of P(S-co-MAA) and ether oxygen of PEG and miscibility of PS and relatively long styrene sequence of P(S-co-MAA).