ABSTRACT
56Natural rubber (NR) grafted with 40%mol poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as side chains designated as NR-g-PMMA and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were used to prepare polymer blends by solution casting method. Thermal stability of the PEO/NR-g-PMMA blends was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The decomposition temperatures of the blends reduce slightly at elevating amount of NR-g-PMMA. It can be deduced that PEO has a better thermal stability as compared with NR-g-PMMA. Thermal properties of PEO/NR-g-PMMA blends were examined using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The PEO/NR-g-PMMA blends exhibit compatibility as indicated by the depression of crystallinity (X *) and melting temperature (T m ) of PEO at certain mass fraction of PEO in the blends (W PEO). As for the intermolecular interactions between PEO and NR-g-PMMA in the blends, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used. PEO and NR blends are immiscible, but PEO and PMMA blends are miscible. Hence, it is interesting to elucidate the phase behavior of PEO/NR-g-PMMA, where there may be the existence of miscible interfacial region of PEO and PMMA between the PEO and NR phases.
