Rheological Behavior of Immiscible PS/PMMA Blends during Dynamic Plasticating Extrusion

Abstract

Abstract PS/PMMA blends were prepared using a twin screw extruder and then extruded using an electromagnetic dynamic plasticating extruder equipped with a specially designed split die. During dynamic plasticating extrusion, the dynamic rheological behavior of PS/PMMA blends was investigated. The extrudates were cooled immediately and collected for morphology measurements using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the average shear stress decreases with the introduction of vibration force field into the whole extrusion process, and reaches a minimum at the vibration amplitude of 0.15 mm and the vibration frequency of 5 Hz. At the same shear stress, the melt viscosity of the blend under dynamic plasticating extrusion is lower than that under static extrusion and decreases with vibration intensity. With increasing vibration intensity, the power-law index of the blend melt has a tendency to increase. The drop size of the dispersed phase in 25/75 PS/PMMA blend decreases at a faster rate with an increase of shear stress, compared with that in 75/25 PS/PMMA blends, correspondingly, the melt viscosity of 25/75 PS/PMMA blend has a stronger shear rate dependence. During dynamic plasticating extrusion, a negative deviation from the additivity rule is observed for the studied blend compositions.