Block blends

Sperling, L. H., Recent Advances in Polymer Blocks, Blends and Grafts, ... 

Table 2. Di-Block Blends with Spherical Morphology...

Polyester polyol blocked Blend coating applied on steel Resistant to acids, methyl Maruyama and... 

Blends involving multiple blocks produce a variety of morphology depending on the compatibility between the blocks. Blending A-b-B block copolymer with A-b-C block copolymer, where B and C have favorable interaction will... 

On the basis of these observations, criticize or defend the following proposition The fact that the separate spots fuse into a single spot of intermediate Rf value proves that block copolymers form between the two species within the blend upon heating. 

Block copolymers are closer to blends of homopolymers in properties, but without the latter s tendency to undergo phase separation. As a matter of fact, diblock copolymers can be used as surfactants to bind immiscible homopolymer blends together and thus improve their mechanical properties. Block copolymers are generally prepared by sequential addition of monomers to living polymers, rather than by depending on the improbable rjr2 > 1 criterion in monomers. 

Newer developments involve poly(4-methyl-l-pentene) (TPX), PS or PPE blends, and block copolymers. 

Fig. 6. Illustration of (a) compatibiLization of immiscible blends of polymers and B by block or graft copolymers and (b) the subsequent modification of...

Moreover, commercially available triblock copolymers designed to be thermoplastic elastomers, not compatihilizers, are often used in Heu of the more appealing diblock materials. Since the mid-1980s, the generation of block or graft copolymers in situ during blend preparation (158,168—176), called reactive compatibilization, has emerged as an alternative approach and has received considerable commercial attention. 

As more complex multicomponent blends are being developed for commercial appHcations, new approaches are needed for morphology characterization. Often, the use of RuO staining is effective, as it is sensitive to small variations in the chemical composition of the component polymers. For instance PS, PC, and styrene—ethylene/butylene—styrene block copolymers (SEES) are readily stained, SAN is stained to a lesser degree, and PET and nylons are not stained (158,225—228). 

Butadiene copolymers are mainly prepared to yield mbbers (see Styrene-butadiene rubber). Many commercially significant latex paints are based on styrene—butadiene copolymers (see Coatings Paint). In latex paint the weight ratio S B is usually 60 40 with high conversion. Most of the block copolymers prepared by anionic catalysts, eg, butyUithium, are also elastomers. However, some of these block copolymers are thermoplastic mbbers, which behave like cross-linked mbbers at room temperature but show regular thermoplastic flow at elevated temperatures (45,46). Diblock (styrene—butadiene (SB)) and triblock (styrene—butadiene—styrene (SBS)) copolymers are commercially available. Typically, they are blended with PS to achieve a desirable property, eg, improved clarity/flexibiHty (see Polymerblends) (46). These block copolymers represent a class of new and interesting polymeric materials (47,48). Of particular interest are their morphologies (49—52), solution properties (53,54), and mechanical behavior (55,56). 

Anionic polymerization, if carried out properly, can be truly a living polymerization (160). Addition of a second monomer to polystyryl anion results in the formation of a block polymer with no detectable free PS. This technique is of considerable importance in the commercial preparation of styrene—butadiene block copolymers, which are used either alone or blended with PS as thermoplastics. 

Hyperbranched polyurethanes are constmcted using phenol-blocked trifunctional monomers in combination with 4-methylbenzyl alcohol for end capping (11). Polyurethane interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) are mixtures of two cross-linked polymer networks, prepared by latex blending, sequential polymerization, or simultaneous polymerization. IPNs have improved mechanical properties, as weU as thermal stabiHties, compared to the single cross-linked polymers. In pseudo-IPNs, only one of the involved polymers is cross-linked. Numerous polymers are involved in the formation of polyurethane-derived IPNs (12). 

The principle of blending a conduction fiber with a static-prone fiber has been known for years. A mixture of a substantial quantity (30—40%) of a hydrophilic fiber such as cotton or rayon with a hydrophobic static-prone fiber such as a polyester can produce a static-free blend under ordinary conditions. However, blocking the hydrophilic groups by cross-linking of the cotton with biflinctional reagents such as dimethylolethylene urea or addition of a water-repellent finish such as a sUicone resin increases the static propensity of such a blend. 

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