Analytical Sciences

Rheo-optical Near-infrared (NIR) Analysis of Binary Amorphous Polymer Blend Consisting of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA)

Maito KOGA, Ryota WATANABE, Junji MIZUKADO, and Hideyuki SHINZAWA

Research Institute for Sustainable Chemistry, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan

A binary amorphous polymer blend consisting of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was studied with a rheo-optical characterization technique based on the combination of a near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer and a tensile testing machine. In rheo-optical NIR spectroscopy, tensile deformations were applied to polymers to induce the displacement of molecular chains while being probed by NIR light. The application of this technique was extended to a partially miscible amorphous polymer blend consisting of PVC and PMMA to demonstrate how it can be utilized to detect subtle but important deformation behavior. A change in the NIR spectral feature revealed that the initial deformation of the blend induces the reorientation of the PVC chains. A part of the PMMA connected to the PVC was tagged during the PVC deformation. Further deformation of the sample eventually resulted in necking propagation to the surrounding area.

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