THE MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF A THERMOTROPIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER IN THE BLEND WITH POLY (ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)

Abstract

The morphological properties of the phase of a liquid crystalline rigid-chain polymer (LCP) in extruded sheets and strands of the blend with poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The LCP phase was extracted from sheets and strands of the LCP/PET blend with trifluoroacetic acid at room temperature. The LCP content and the extension ratio of sheets and strands of the blend affected the structures of the LCP phase in the blend. The LCP component tended to form spherical or elliptical structures in the blend strands of lower LCP content and at lower extension ratios. On the other hand, networks of thin LCP fibrils were obtained in the blend strands of higher LCP content and at much higher extension ratios.