Melt state dynamics of plate-like nanoparticles in immiscible polymer blends

The dynamics of assembly of lamellar (clay) nanoparticles in a molten blend of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with drop-matrix morphology are studied combining viscoelastic measurements and morphological analyses. The goal is studying how the preferred polymer-polymer interface alters the melt state dynamics of the filler and the structures resulting from particle self-assembly. The PMMA drops anchor the lamellae, frustrating their peculiar mobility in the polymer melt, at least until saturation of the available polymer-polymer interface. On the other hand, the clay radically affects the blend morphology, inducing irregularly-shaped drops and drop clustering phenomena even in case of partial coverage of the drop surface.