In this thesis, the compatibilization mechanism induced by clay nanoparticles in polymer blends was investigated using rheology. To do so, montmorillonite, laponite and halloysite, modified or not, were added to PMMA/PS blends. Linear shear rheology showed that the compatibilization mechanism, especially the coalescence phenomenon, was greatly influenced by the localization of clay nanoparticles. Modified montmorillonite, which was located at the interface, was shown to be the most efficient at inhibiting coalescence among clays and as efficient as a block copolymer with a high molecular mass. The latter is particularly interesting as nanoparticles are cheaper than block copolymers. In this work, special attention was given to relaxations happening in blends. Using linear shear rheology, Marangoni stresses due to a gradient in compatibilizer concentration at the interface was evidenced for the first time in the case of organically modified clay nanoparticles when located at the interface. Finally, submitting blends to elongational flow and subsequent relaxation showed that the relaxation of the droplets after high deformations was faster in the case of clays dispersed in the matrix and slowed down by the interfacial tension in the case of a better dispersion of clays at the interface or in the whole blend.
| Date | 14 Mar 2018 |
|---|
| Original language | American English |
|---|
| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
|
|---|
| Supervisor | Nicole R. Demarquette (Supervisor) & Jérémie Soulestin (Co-supervisor) |
|---|
Genoyer, J. (Author),
Demarquette (Supervisor) & Soulestin (Co-supervisor),
14 Mar 2018Student thesis: Doctoral thesis › Doctorate in Engineering: Engineering