Morphology Development in Compatibilized Blends

The presence of a compatibilizer at the interface has a considerable effect on the behavior of dispersed droplets in the flow because it can lower the interfacial tension, which makes droplet deformation and break-up easier. Distinct differences were found in the behavior of compatibilized droplets with respect to the viscosity ratio [116]. Typically, when the viscosity of the dispersed phase was higher than the viscosity of the matrix, the droplets were stabilized by the addition of a block copolymer that is, they were less deformed than the uncompatibilized droplets. In the opposite case of a more viscous matrix, the droplets inclined to higher deformations and to asymmetric break-ups [117,118]. 

Although the exact explanation and theoretical description of the compatibilizers activity remains an open field of research, the morphology changes induced by effective compatibilization are qualitatively the same. The efficiency of a compati-bilizer can be determined from emulsification curves showing the size of the dispersed particles as a function of compatibUizer concentration [129,130]. 

With increasing concentration, the compatibflizer is deposited at the interface and the dispersed particle size decreases. However, when the interface is 

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