Formation and morphologies of ethylcyanoethyl cellulose/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) blending films
The texture of ethylcyanoethyl cellulose [(ECE)C]/poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)/dichloroacetic acid (DCA) solutions and the morphology of the (ECE)C/PCL blending films were studied by polarizing optical microscope. The critical concentration of the (ECE)C/PCL/DCA solutions, at which the mesophase began to appear, was not influenced by the addition of PCL molecules, and the evolution of the cholesteric texture varied with different contents of PCL in the blends. Spherulites with a ringed extinction pattern in the (ECE)C/PCL blending films were formed below an (ECE)C concentration of 25 wt %. Moreover, the bright band distance of the alternative ringed extinction pattern decreased with increasing (ECE)C concentration.