ON THE USE OF TIME-TEMPERATURE SUPERPOSITION IN MULTICOMPONENT MULTIPHASE POLYMER SYSTEMS

Abstract

In view of the fact that log G' versus log G'' plots for homogeneous polymer systems are virtually independent of temperature, we have suggested that before attempting to apply time-temperature superposition to multicomponent and/or multiphase polymer systems, one must first observe whether or not plots of log G' versus log G'' show temperature independence. We have demonstrated that log G' versus log G'' plots are very sensitive to a variation in the morphological state of multicomponent/multiphase polymer systems (e.g. immiscible polymer blends, microphase-separated block copolymers, liquid crystalline polymers). We have pointed out that whereas the so-called Cole-Cole plot is strictly an empirical correlation, plots of log G' versus log G'' have a basis of molecular viscoelasticity theory and thus the two are not related to each other.