Since the beginning of the plastics industry it has been recognised that blending yields materials with property profiles superior to the features of the individual components. The blending of polymers provides a means of producing new materials, which combine the useful properties of all of the constituents. The technology of blending is now advancing at a rapid pace. There has been progress in the understanding of the behaviour of polymer blends, especially the thermodynamics and rheology. New blends are constantly being developed and characterised, and blends with metallocene resins, liquid crystal polymers and biodegradable resins are now available. Blending technology is also proving of use in the field of plastics recycling.

This Rapra Review Report begins by summarising the basis of polymer blending. This includes an outline of the techniques being used to characterise blends including spectroscopic techniques and rheometry. The types of polymer blends which have been studied are outlined. Methods of compatibilisation are discussed. The morphology of the phases in a blend is critical to property development - the types of morphology observed are described. Flow-induced morphology is described. Processing of blends and the effects on morphology are discussed including extrusion, thermoforming, blow moulding, injection moulding and foaming. Each aspect of the review is extensively referenced and the accompanying abstracts from the Rapra Abstracts database provide useful further information and indicate sources of additional material.

Professor Utracki is a world-renowned expert on the topic of polymer blends and has published hundreds of papers in this field. He is currently teaching and carrying out research at the Industrial Materials Institute of the National Research Council of Canada.

This Rapra Review Report combines an excellent introduction to the science of polymer blends, the types of blends available and processing techniques, and an extensive summary of the very latest developments. It will provide useful reading to polymer processors, manufacturers and design engineers. Polymer blends have exciting prospects as the new materials of the future.

The report comprises a concise, expert overview, supported by an extensive bibliography of over 500 abstracts compiled from the Polymer Library on the topic of polymer blends. This bibliography provides useful additional information on this topical field. The majority of the papers cited date from the last five years, to provide up-to-date information on the latest developments in polymer blends.