| Abstract: | The miscibility of various amorphous polybutadienes with mixed microstructures of 1,4 addition units (cis, 1,4 and trans 1,4) and 1,2 addition units have been investigated. The studies here involved optical transparency, differential scanning calorimetry, and small angle light scattering. It was found that a 90 percent (cis) 1, 4 addition polybutadiene was immiscible with high (91 percent) 1,2 addition polybutadiene. Reduction of the 1,2 content to 71 percent induced an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) with the cis 1,4 polymer. Polybutadienes with 50 percent and 10 percent 1,2 contents were miscible above the crystalline melting temperature of the cis 1,4 polybutadiene. Immiscibility of the 91 percent 1,2 addition polymer was also found with a 10 percent 1,2 polybutadiene. The latter polymer also exhibits an UCST with the 71 percent 1,2 polymer. The results are used to interpret the characteristics of blends of polybutadienes of varying microstructure. |
