Influence of migration of plasticizer during melt mixing on the transitions and properties of PC/CAB blends

Static and dynamic mechanical properties, morphology, and thermal behavior of polycarbonate (PC)/plasticized cellulose acetobutyrate (CAB) blends were investigated to determine whether the plasticizer of the CAB modifies the miscibility of the blend and the mechanical properties of this essentially incompatible blend. In spite of the lack of transparency of the blends, both dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis results show the presence, at all blend compositions studied, of a single glass transition temperature which varies with the composition of the blend. Considering the ternary nature of the blends, we propose that plasticizer migration and the difficulty of discerning the presence of one or two peaks in a narrow temperature range may account for the observed behavior. Scanning electron microscopy confirms the immiscibility of the blends. The blends show large positive deviations of the tensile moduli from linearity and very low ductility. The reported tensile strength data are discussed in terms of several different equations for composites. This mechanical behavior is explained as a consequence of the migration of the plasticizer and of its subsequent antiplasticizing effect on the properties of the blend.