Abstract
Poly (methyl methacrylate) / poly (vinyl alcohol) blend prepared by melt kneading is incompatible system. Two loss modulus peaks based on the components appear by a measurement of dynamic viscoelastic properties. It was found that the peak based on poly (methyl methacrylate) of this blend appeared at higher temperature than the peak of poly (methyl methacrylate) alone. This is expected to be caused by the specific interaction between components. Effect of saponification degree of poly (vinyl alcohol) in the range from 38 to 98mol% on the peak temperature was investigated. As a result, the peak temperature of the blend was elevated with an increase in the saponification degree of poly (vinyl alcohol). In the case of poly (vinyl alcohol) with saponification degree below 88mol%, μm order domains were observed by a scanning electron microscopic observation. Whereas, in the case of poly (vinyl alcohol) with saponification degree of 98mol%, no clear domain was observed, in spite of the poor moldability by the formation of strong specific interaction between components. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis showed the hydrogen bonding between a carbonyl group in poly (methyl methacrylate) and a hydroxyl group in poly (vinyl alcohol).
