Poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(ethyl methacrylate) blends: Crystallization, melting behavior, and miscibility

Results of an investigation of isothermal crystallization and thermal behavior of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEO/PEMA) blends are reported. The blend composition and the crystallization temperature strongly influence the crystallization process from the melt and the melting temperature of PEO. The addition of PEMA to PEO causes a depression in the spherulite growth rate, in the overall kinetic crystallization constant, and in the melting temperature. Experimental data on the radial growth rate G and overall kinetic rate constant Kn are analyzed by means of the latest kinetic theory. From this analysis it emerges that the crystallization of pure PEO and PEO in the blend conforms to the regime I process of surface secondary nucleation. The depression of the melting temperature cannot be explained only in terms of a diluent effect due to the compatibility of the two components in the melt. Annealing and morphological effects, dependent on composition and time, must also be taken into account.