Viscoelastic and elastic behavior of polypropylene and ethylene copolymer blends

Thermorheological properties of an incompatible polymer blend of polypropylene inclusions dispersed in a ethylene copolymer matrix were discussed from the emulsion model developed by Palierne. Due to the different rheological behaviors with temperature of the two phases, such a system proved to be a judicious blend in order to consider the special cases of the model applications: (1) the two phases are viscoelastic liquids, (2) the dispersed phase is a solid elastic assimilated to rigid spheres in comparison with viscoelastic liquid behavior of the matrix, and (3) the two phases are elastic solids. At low frequencies, the rheological behavior of the blend was not correctly predicted by the model. So interactions other than hydrodynamics can exist in the intrafacial region, and physical entanglements between the chains of the two constituents leading to topological interactions may be assumed at the interphase.