Structure-Property Relationships in PEI/PET Polymer Blends: Morphological, Rheological, Thermal, Mechanical Behavior, and Electromagnetic Response

Abstract

In this study, twin screw extruded Polyetherimide (PEI)/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) polymer blends (90/10, 70/30, 50/50 w/w%) were investigated to elucidate the composition-property relationship governed by morphological, structural, rheological, thermomechanical, mechanical, and electromagnetic shielding (EMI) performance behavior. Among other polymer blends, the 70/30 blend exhibits superior thermomechanical stability with a significant glass transition temperature of 132.7 degrees C, where a robust confinement effect effectively restricts the mobility of PET chains. This morphology, characterized by a domain size of 562 nm, provides proof of concept for interface-driven attenuation, reaching a maximum EMI shielding effectiveness of 2.54 dB within the investigated blends. This performance is primarily governed by Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization at the immiscible boundaries, alongside an optimized dielectric loss of tan delta approximate to 0.065. The design of these high-temperature PEI blends provides a proof of concept for interface-driven attenuation and demonstrates their potential for developing advanced EMI shielding matrices.