| Abstract: | The thermodynamic compatibility of dilute, solid solutions of poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) (mass-average molar mass M?w = 3900 g/mol) in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (M?w = 550000 g/mol) was investigated by means of small-angle X-ray scattering. The results of the analysis show that PPG is molecularly dispersed in the solid, amorphous matrix of PMMA, and that the molecules display the typical statistical coil macroconformation of polymers in dilute, liquid solution, whereby the numerical value of the second virial coefficient seems to point to the unperturbed nature of the coils. This behaviour, consistent with the concept of “interpenetration of segments”, is in total agreement with the experimentally measured compositional variation of the glass transition temperature of the blends. |
