Melt blending of linear low‐density polyethylene and polystyrene in a Haake internal mixer. II. Morphology‐processing relationships

A measure of the effective shear rate range for dispersive mixing in the Haake mixer has been developed, which is more representative of shearing conditions than that currently used. In addition, the effects of processing conditions, composition, and compatibilizer on linear low-density polyethylene and polystyrene (LLDPE/PS) blend morphology were studied. Fiber/stratified morphologies form with blends when the minor phase has low viscosity and is present at its higher concentration. The influence of the viscosity ratio on phase size was found to be a minor effect for mixtures having a low fraction of the dispersed phase (20% PS). The effect of shear intensity, however, was found to be more important at a low composition of the dispersed phase or in compatibilized blends. During Haake blending, an optimal time for adding compatibilizer to stabilize phase morphology was found to be when the final morphology of an incompatible blend had developed. Further studies have concluded that the addition of styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene (SEBS) stabilized the blend morphology of LLDPE/PS more efficiently than styrene–ethylene/propylene (SEP) on different blending conditions and compositions. At high temperatures, the addition of SEP to a LLDPE/PS blend did not modify the dispersed phase size. On the other hand, SEBS stabilized the dispersion so that the final domain size is independent of composition. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.