Determination of activation energies and tensile characteristics of polymer latexes depending on different heating methods and thicknesses

In this work, film formation from composites of polystyrene (PS) latex particles and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) was studied using both infrared radiative heating (IRH) and standard convectional heating techniques. Photon transmission (PT) techniques of PS/PVA composite films and tensile strength of pure PVA films were investigated for the film formation process at each temperature and different film thicknesses, respectively. Results showed that the activation energy required for the completion of film formation decreased considerably in IRH annealing technique and IRH heating also causes more homogenous and more flat film surface than films annealed in the oven. Ductility properties were enhanced with the thicker PVA films.