A general problem on the covulcanization of polymer blends is one of understanding the nature and physical properties of the polymer blends in which a complex chemical reaction has been superimposed on a complex physical state. Our study was on the former aspect. An attempt was made to elucidate the structural change during the covulcanization of polymer blends via the light-scattering studies on the novel specimens (BR/SBR) with the regularly phase-separated structure having periodic distances ranging from 1 to a few µm. A structural change proposed is the broadening of the polymer-polymer interface. The structural change appears to be from the fact that the phase dissolution in the dissimilar polymer system with UCST type phase diagram is promoted by the curing reaction. Effects of curing temperature, curing agents (various peroxides and sulfur-accelerators), and the periodic distance in the uncured blends on the rate of phase dissolution were also investigated. The results may be interpreted in the framework of the above concept.
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Inoue et al. (1985) studied this question.