Miscibility, morphology and tensile properties of vinyl chloride polymer and poly(ε-caprolactone) blends

The miscibility, morphology and tensile properties of three blend systems of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and with two chlorinated PVCs (CPVCs) with different chlorine contents (63wt% and 67wt% of Cl) have been studied. Based on the shifts of single glass transition temperature, the Gordon-Taylor K parameter is calculated as a measurement of interaction strength between PCL and (C)PVCs. Higher K values are found for blends of (C)PVCs with higher chlorine content, together with the interaction _χ parameters estimated from the melting point depression results. The morphology observed with polarized light microscopy shows that spherulites exist in blends rich in PCL (≥50wt%) only. Wide angle X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the crystal structure of PCL is independent of the Cl content of (C)PVCs. The tensile properties of various blends exhibit a minimum as the PCL content increases. The elongation at break increases with increasing PCL content.