Surface localization of poly(methyl methacrylate) in a miscible blend with polycarbonate

A new method to localize poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at the surface of a miscible blend with polycarbonate (PC) is demonstrated. Low-molecular-weight PMMA, which is found to be miscible with PC, is used in this study. After annealing the PC/PMMA blend in a temperature gradient, PMMA is found to localize on the high temperature side, as detected by infrared spectroscopy and molecular weight measurements. Furthermore, the sample exhibits good transparency even after annealing. This phenomenon is notable because it is applicable to enhancing the anti-scratch properties of PC.