Structural and Morphological Characterization of Poly (Phenylene Oxide): Poly (Styrene) Polymer Blends

The objective of this work is to study the structural and morphological characteristic of polymer blends of Poly (Phenylene Oxide) (PPO) and Poly (Styrene) (PS). The Polymer blends of Poly (Phenylene Oxide) (PPO) and Poly (Styrene) (PS) has been prepared using solution cast technique. The pure polymeric samples and their blends of various weight proportions of 95:05; 90:10; 85:15; and 80:20 has been prepared. The PPO/PS blends were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The molecular bond nature of pure polymer samples and their blends has been studied which shows the good compatibility between the polymers. On the basis of XRD studies, interplanar distance, crystallite size and order of crystallinity has been determined. It is found that as the concentration of PPO increases, the interplanar distance and crystallite size and the order of crystallinity increases. The SEM micrograph exhibits a dense and more ordered structure of PPO/PS blends.