Abstract

Blends containing copolymers of N-alkylitaconamic acid (NAIA) with styrene (NAIA-co-S) of two copolymer compositions, that is, 80% and 50% styrene, with poly(hydoxypropyl methacrylate (PHPM) and poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The phase diagrams of Tg against blend composition show one single Tg value, which are intermediate to those of the pure components. This is interpreted as miscibility over the whole range of compositions in both systems. The Calorimetric Analysis using Gordon Taylor, Couchman, and Kwei treatments allows one to conclude that interactions between the components is favorable to the miscibility. FT-IR spectra show important displacements in the wavenumber corresponding to the carbonyl groups of the itaconamic acid moiety. This behavior is atributed to strong interaction by hydrogen bonds formation, taking into account that PHPM and PVPh are interacting polymers. FTIR analysis of the blends suggests that the driving force for miscibility is hydrogen bonds formation. The variation of the absorptions of the carbonyl groups of PNAIA and the hydroxyl groups of P4VPh allows to attribute the miscibility to weak acid-base like interactions.