Effect of PPEGMA content on the structure and hydrophilicity of PVDF/PPEGMA blends prepared by in situ polymerization

The in situ polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution was carried out to prepare hydrophilic PVDF/PPEGMA blends. Based on T _g data, the system displayed some miscibility at low PPEGMA content because there were some interactions between PVDF and PPEGMA, as illustrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, while the miscibility disappeared at high PPEGMA content. The β phase was the predominant crystalline phase of PVDF in the in situ blends, which was independent on PPEGMA content. However, the addition of PPEGMA could change the unit cell structure in the direction of the a-axis of β phase. The degree of crystallinity of the in situ blends calculated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry displayed different tendencies with PPEGMA content. The scanning electron microscopy showed that the “spherulites” size increased with the increase in PPEGMA content, since the “spherulites” were comprised of not only crystalline PVDF but also amorphous PVDF and PPEGMA. In addition, the in situ blend had a great improvement in the hydrophilicity; specifically, its water contact angle was down to 26° when the PPEGMA content only increased to 26.9 wt.%.