Low-temperature synthesis method for the fabrication of efficient polymer-blend systems

It is essential that the particle sizes of polymer blends are controlled to ensure their superior properties. In this study, polymer blends at low temperatures were fabricated. Unlike conventional methods that use high temperatures, this method exhibited energy efficiency during melt processing and a polymeric product with appreciable mechanical properties was fabricated. A polystyrene/polyethylene terephthalate (PS/PET) blend system with 1–4 wt.% PET particles dispersed into the PS matrix at 180 °C was synthesized. The resulting PS/PET blends exhibited uniquely shaped PET dispersed phase and mechanical properties that were twice as high as that of the blends processed at a higher temperature of 290 °C. The proposed method is the first to incorporate polymeric fibers into another polymer matrix at a lower temperature, resulting in energy efficiency and superior mechanical properties.