Dielectric spectroscopy is a technique which is still hardly used for on-line characterization of polymers. In this article we describe its use at medium frequencies (between 10 Hz and 1 MHz) for on-line monitoring of the morphology of polymer blends during extrusion. A sheet extrusion die containing two electrodes, made it possible to perform the dielectric on-line analysis. A blend of a thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polymer (LCP) dispersed in polypropylene was used to follow the change in shape and cocontinuity of the LCP phase with increasing extrusion speed. The creation of a more fibrous structure at higher shear rates was demonstrated by the dielectric technique as well as by SEM analysis. A blend of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer dispersed in polystyrene was chosen to study the evolution of the size of the LCP inclusions with increasing extruder speed. The Böttcher–Trukhan relation enabled us to convert the dielectric data to values of the particle size and a decrease in size with increasing shear rate was found. This was confirmed by SEM micrographs. The experiments and analysis presented in this article show that dielectric spectroscopy proves to be a valuable tool for on-line characterization of the microstructure of polymer blends.
Посилання на статтю:
Dielectric on-line spectroscopy during extrusion of polymer blends / Arjen Boersma, Jan van Turnhout // Polymer. – 1999. – N 40. – P. 5023–5033.
Dielectric on-line spectroscopy during extrusion of polymer blends - Завантажити.
