Control of phase separation behavior of PC/PMMA blends and their application to the gas separation membranes

Gas transport and thermodynamic properties for the blends of polycarbonate (PC) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) were studied. To explore glass transition temperatures of blends and their phase separation temperatures due to a lower critical solution temperature, LCST, a type of phase boundary, transparent blend films that are miscible and do not contain solvent-induced PC crystals were prepared by controlling molecular weights of each component. The average value of interaction energy densities between PC and PMMA obtained from the phase boundaries and the equation of a state theory based on the lattice fluid model was 0.04 cal/cm(3). This result confirmed that miscibility of PC and PMMA blends at equilibrium depends upon the molecular weights of components. Gas transport properties of miscible blends and immiscible blends having the same chemical components and composition but a difference in morphology were examined at 35 degrees C and 1 atm for the gases N-2 and O-2. Permeability and apparent diffusion coefficients were ranked in the order of the immiscible blend having a domain-matrix structure > the immiscible blend having an interconnected structure > the miscible blend. These results might be related to the differences in the local chain motions that depend on the intermolecular mixing level. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.