Abstract
The compatibility and the surface structure of blends of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) with either poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or hydrolyzed PMMA (H-PMMA) were studied in terms of film thickness, interaction, and surface free energy difference on the basis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform IR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The XPS measurement showed that the surface enrichment of (PMMA/SAN) blends with different AN contents of SAN and with different carboxyl acid contents of PMMA was dependent on the molecular interaction, the surface free energy difference between components and the sample preparation history. It was found that the compatibility of H-PMMA and SAN was reduced with increasing carboxyl acid content of PMMA.