Characterization of polyester/polycarbonate blends by size exclusion chromatography and melt rheometry

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Abstract
A major obstacle to the study of polymer blends has been the lack of a convenient technique for measurement of molecular weight. Melt rheometry, while giving useful information related to processing and end‐use performance, is incapable of providing detailed information on the individual components. This work describes the use of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to study the molecular‐weight distributions of polycarbonates and aromatic polyesters in blends of the two. SEC of the polycarbonate is achieved in a solvent which dissolves the polycarbonate, but not the polyester, while SEC is performed in a solvent which dissolves both components, but using selective detection. Thus, SEC is used to examine the individual components of the blend, while rheometry can be used to study the blend as a whole. This combination of techniques has been successfully used to analyze the effect of moisture, processing conditions, and recycling on blend properties.