Poly(caprolacton)/liquid crystalline polymer blends : phase behaviour and mechanical properties

The blend behaviour of a thermoplast (polycaprolacton) and a liquid crystalline polyester was investigated. The blending was performed via a common solution and rapid precipitation. The blends exhibited a two-phase structure with one phase being the pure thermoplast and the second a mixture of the thermoplast with the liquid crystalline polymer (LCP). The mixed phase can be interpreted as a lyotropic LCP phase with the thermoplast acting as the solvent. At low LCP concentrations ( < 2%), the Young's modulus, E, of the blend is increased by more than a factor of two, but higher LCP concentrations do not increase the mechanical properties as drastically.