Room temperature baroplastic processing of PS/PBA nano-blends

Room temperature baroplastic processing of polystyrene (PS) and poly( n -butyl acrylate) (PBA) was investigated through the formation of nanoblends of their polymer nanoparticles. Instead of core-shell or block copolymer structures, PS and PBA nanoparticles were synthesized separately through aqueous emulsion polymerization and then mixed and precipitated. The resulting nano-blends provided semi-transparent molding at 25 °C under applied pressure, resembling that of core-shell and block copolymer baroplastic systems. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements of the compressed samples revealed the presence of intermixing glass transition between the two components, which indicated baroplastic processing. However, PS/poly(lauryl methacrylate) blends exhibited no intermixing glass transition, indicating no pressure-induced miscibility between the two phases.