Polymer interfaces and the molecular basis of adhesion

Interfaces between immiscible polymers are typically rather narrow and weak, but they can be modified in a variety of ways to control both the interfacial strength and the morphology of blends of immiscible polymers. Early work concentrated on the use of diblock copolymers, but recent attention, both experimental and theoretical, has been moving towards the use of molecules with different architectures. Increasing academic effort is being made to understand the industrially important but more complex process of reactive compatibilisation, where interfacial modifiers are formed in situ by reactions at the interface.