Engineering Polymer Blends with Controllable Interfacial Locationof Janus Particles as Compatibilizers

Janus particles (JPs) are a new type of compatibil-izer for polymer blends that offer a wider range of adjustableamphiphilic (Janus balance) and reactivity properties. In this study,snowman-like JPs with different compositions on two lobes aresynthesized and employed as compatibilizers for poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blends. By changing the two lobesize ratios and surface compositions to adjust the Janus balance,interfacial distributions of the as-used JPs in the blends can becontrolled. Correspondingly, the size of the PBS dispersed phase istuned. Most importantly, reactive groups are introduced into JPs toenhance interfacial interactions. Compared to the effect ofdispersed phase size reduction, the ductility and toughness of blends with the JPs are more significantly enhanced by improvinginteractions between the JPs and blend phases. When JPs are anchored to the interface, the elongation at break and tensile toughnessof the blend increase by 13.1 and 16.4 times, respectively.