Effects of phase behavior on mutual diffusion at polymer layers interface

Using oscillation mode of rheology and theoretical calculation, we have observed for the first time the crossover of mutual diffusion coefficient, Dm, from high to low temperatures at the multiple layers interface of polymer films. A model which reflects a more realistic terminal state has been proposed to fairly fit the experimental data, by which the mutual diffusion coefficient Dm can be determined. It is substantially found that the diffusion keeps proceeding for the multilayer system at the temperature lower than the critical temperature due to the requirement of a period of time for binodal compositions to reach. Moreover, it is found that the apparent activation energy, Ed, derived from the Arrhenius relation of Dm versus 1/T, increases surprisingly when the welding temperature is below 150 °C, which relates closely to the effects of the phase behavior occurring in the two-phase region of the blend.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size image