Transmission electron microscopy study of phase morphology in polypropylene/ethylene-octene copolymer blends

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-octene copolymers (EOC) were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The EOC contained 28, 37, 40 or 52 wt% of octene. Only the 50/50 PP/EOC ratio was used for all blends. None of the blends was fully miscible, there was always two-phase morphology. TEM observation followed by image analysis by ImageJ software revealed that the largest particles were in blend containing EOC-28 and the smallest were in blend with EOC-52. The coarsening rate at 200 °C was evaluated by TEM. The glass transition temperature (Tg) shift indicated partial miscibility. Partial miscibility was then confirmed by direct observation of bright PP lamellae in EOC dark phase.