Improvement of Processing and Mechanical Properties of Polyetherimide by Antiplasticization with Resorcinol Bis(diphenyl phosphate)

This article describes the antiplasticization of a commercial polyetherimide ULTEM (R) series 1000 {[}poly(bisphenol A-co-4-nitrophthalic anhydride-co-1,3-phenylenediamine) by resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate)] (RDP) and its implications on the thermomechanical processing, namely extrusion and injection molding, as well as on the thermal and mechanical properties of the formulations. This antiplasticization effect allows the processing of polyetherimide formulations at lower temperatures in comparison with neat polymer due to the progressive decrease of the glass transition temperature with increased RDP concentration, as observed by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis. The decrease of T-g occurs concomitantly with the overlap of the glass transition and relaxation and with the shift of the relaxation to higher temperatures. These changes in the relaxation spectrum of polyetherimide formulations are possibly responsible for the increase of the tensile strength and Young's modulus and changes in the fracture mechanism, as observed by stress-strain tests and by scanning electron microscopy, respectively. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40619. (AU)