129Xe NMR as a probe of polymer blends

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Abstract
The miscibility of two‐component polymer blends has been investigated using xenon‐129 (129Xe) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to probe the phase morphology. The chemical shift of 129Xe dissolved in a given polymer is unique, thus heterogeneous blends with large domain sizes exhibit two 129Xe NMR lines. When a single resonance is obtained, the data are consistent with miscibility, yielding an upper bound on the domain size. The temperature dependence of the relative solubilities and chemical shifts of 129Xe dissolved in the pure components may allow a determination of the phase morphology in blends exhibiting a single resonance. The method is used to demonstrate that polychloroprene and 25% epoxidized 1,4‐polyisoprene form a miscible blend.