(1) Chemical Engineering Group, Kashan University - Kashan - Iran, (2) Department of Polymer Engineering and Color Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology - Tehran - Iran, (3) Polymers Research Group, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University - VIC - Australia
Blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)/acrylic rubber(ACM) were prepared by melt mixing. Characteristic peaks of α crystalline structure were observed by WAXD study for neat PVDF and PVDF/ACM blends. Partially miscible blends displayed up to 350% elongation at break which is a significant increment of this parameter compare to neat PVDF(20%). On the other hand, miscible blends showed elongation of up to 1000%, which is again remarkable increase compare to chemically cross-linked ACM (220%) displayed excellent mechanical properties, tensile strength and large elongation at break. For miscible and partially miscible blends two different mechanisms are responsible for this improvement in mechanical properties. It was suggested that in partially miscible blends rubbery depletion layer between the spherulite beside conventional rubber cavitations mechanism are responsible for increase in elongation at break, while for miscible blends PVDF spherulite act as a crosslinking junction.