Polyethersulfone (PESU), due to its high temperature stability, modulus, toughness, and hydrolytic stability, is used in a wide range of high performance applications. These properties are also desirable for thermoplastic composites, however, the high melt viscosity and processing temperature of PESU present challenges for its widespread adoption. Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanostructured chemicals have been shown to reduce viscosity in a range of lower temperature polymers when added at low weight percent loadings. In this study, we demonstrate reductions in the torque during melt extrusion and reductions in the complex viscosity during rheological analysis for PESU blends with small concentrations of POSS molecules of specific composition. The PESU-POSS blends show no significant changes in mechanical (tensile and impact) and thermal (T<sub>g</sub> and T<sub>degradation</sub>) properties. DMA, dielectric spectroscopy, and surface analysis indicate potential mechanisms for this unusual viscosity reduction, which occurs without changes in bulk mechanical properties.

Rheological and processability improvements in polyethersulfone-POSS nanocomposites

2019 Spring National Meeting

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