Barrier Blend

The PA/PE grafted blend was offered commercially as a concentrate (Selar RB) to be melt blended with HDPE to a final PA/HDPE ratio = 15/85 for subsequent blow molding into containers such as gasoline tanks, solvent containers, etc. This laminar barrier blend of HDPE and PA was reported to provide up to 100 fold improvement in the barrier to permeation of such organic solvents as toluene, relative to pure HDPE, or a similar blend composition containing PA as a uniform spherical dispersion. 

Blends have also been used to a limited extent in packaging. Du Ponts Solar is a nylon/polyethylene blend that can be blow-molded into bottles and can contain volatile hydrocarbons found in household cleaners and agricultural chemicals. Further developments in such barrier blends are expected. 

Acrylonitrile—methyl acrylate—iadene terpolymers, by themselves, or ia blends with acrylonitrile—methyl acrylate copolymers, exhibit even lower oxygen and water permeation rates than the iadene-free copolymers (110,111). Terpolymers of acrylonitrile with iadene and isobutjlenealso exhibit excellent barrier properties (112), and permeation of gas and water vapor through acrylonitrile—styrene—isobutjleneterpolymers is also low (113,114). 

In polymers such as polystyrene that do not readily undergo charring, phosphoms-based flame retardants tend to be less effective, and such polymers are often flame retarded by antimony—halogen combinations (see Styrene). However, even in such noncharring polymers, phosphoms additives exhibit some activity that suggests at least one other mode of action. Phosphoms compounds may produce a barrier layer of polyphosphoric acid on the burning polymer (4,5). Phosphoms-based flame retardants are more effective in styrenic polymers blended with a char-forming polymer such as polyphenylene oxide or polycarbonate. 

Waterproof. Waterproofing barrier systems may be either hot- or cold-appHed. The hot-appHed generaUy involve a bituminous material such as asphalt used in conjunction with a reinforcing fabric such as roofing felt, cotton, or glass cloth. Cold-appHed can be bituminous or elastomeric materials either in Hquid or sheet form, with or without fabric reinforcement. Liquid elastomeric treatments include neoprene, polyurethanes, and blends of these or epoxies with bituminous materials. Among the commonly used precured elastomeric sheet materials are neoprene, polyisobutylene, EPDM mbber, and plasticized PVC. Polyethylene and PVC films and nonwoven plastic or glass fabric coated with bituminous materials also find use (78). Because these... 

Barrier polymers are often used in combination with other polymers or substances. The combinations may result in a layered stmcture either by coextmsion, lamination, or coating. The combinations may be blends that are either miscible or immiscible. In each case, the blend seeks to combine the best properties of two or more materials to enhance the value of a final stmcture. 

Immiscible Blends. When two polymers are blended, the most common result is a two-phase composite. The most interesting blends have good adhesion between the phases, either naturally or with the help of an additive. The barrier properties of an immiscible blend depend on the permeabihties of the polymers, the volume fraction of each, phase continuity, and the aspect ratio of the discontinuous phase. Phase continuity refers to which phase is continuous in the composite. Continuous for barrier appHcations means that a phase connects the two surfaces of the composite. Typically, only one of the two polymer phases is continuous, with the other polymer phase existing as islands. It is possible to have both polymers be continuous. 

P. M. Subiamunian, Permeability Barriers by Controlled Morphology of Polymer Blends, SPE-RETEC, Mississauga, Ontaiio, Canada, Oct. 16, 1984, pp. 1-9. 

Structurally the difference between PEN and PET is in the double (naphthenic) ring of the former compared to the single (benzene) ring of the latter. This leads to a stiffer chain so that both and are higher for PEN than for PET (Tg is 124°C for PEN, 75°C for PET is 270-273°C for PEN and 256-265°C for PET). Although PEN crystallises at a slower rate than PET, crystallization is (as with PET) enhanced by biaxial orientation and the barrier properties are much superior to PET with up to a fivefold enhancement in some cases. (As with many crystalline polymers the maximum rate of crystallisation occurs at temperatures about midway between Tg and in the case of both PEN and PET). At the present time PEN is significantly more expensive than PET partly due to the economies of scale and partly due to the fact that the transesterification route used with PEN is inherently more expensive than the direct acid routes now used with PET. This has led to the availability of copolymers and of blends which have intermediate properties. 

The quality of blends is strongly dependent on mixing techniques but encouraging results have been obtained, particularly in respect of improving barrier properties. 

Since this bloom is brittle, it is broken by flexing. Therefore, waxes only protect under static conditions. For serving conditions which involve continuous flexing, /j-phenylenediamines (A, A -alkyl-aryl derivatives) can be added. These chemical antiozonants scavenge the ozone before it reacts with the rubber. A barrier of ozonized products is created which protects both the rubber and antiozonant from further attack. However, p-phenylenediamines are staining compounds. Whenever colour is an important concern, blends of elastomers can be used elastomers loading should be higher than 30 phr to provide sufficient effectiveness. 

P. M. Subramaniam, Polymer Blends Morphology and Solvent Barriers, ACS, Washington (1990). 

A holistic treatment of the main medical disciplines. The basic sciences including most of the achievements in cell and molecular biology have been blended with pathology and clinical medicine. Thus, a special feature is that departmental barriers have been overcome. 

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