Self-Forming Interlocking Interfaces on the Immiscible Polymer Bilayers via Gelation-Mediated Phase Separation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Creating strong interfaces between immiscible polymers is challenging.
• Traditional methods often require complex processing or surface modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile method for preparing immiscible polymer bilayer films with enhanced interfacial properties.
• To investigate the formation and impact of interlocking structures at the interface.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing gelation-mediated phase separation in a one-pot casting method.
• Employing polymer systems of urea-polydimethylsiloxane copolymer and epoxy.
• Fixing the phase separation morphology via evaporation-induced gelation.

Main Results:

• Well-defined bilayer structures self-assembled when epoxy fraction exceeded 25 wt%.
• Microscopy confirmed the formation of interlocking structures at the interface.
• Interlocking structures significantly improved interfacial adhesion and fracture energy.

Conclusions:

• Gelation-mediated phase separation offers an effective strategy for creating interlocking interfaces between immiscible polymers.
• This approach provides a facile, in situ method for enhancing polymer bilayer performance.