Morphology and Bulk Properties of Siloxane Containing Copolymers

1 Morphology and Bulk Properties of Siloxane Containing Copolymers 

Morphology of the anionically synthesized triblock copolymers of polyfp-methyl-styrene) and PDMS and their derivatives obtained by the selective chlorination of the hard segments were investigated by TEM 146). Samples with low PDMS content (12%) showed spherical domains of PDMS in a poly(p-methylstyrene) matrix. Samples with nearly equimolar composition showed a continuous lamellar morphology. In both cases the domain structure was very fine, indicating sharp interfaces. Domain sizes were estimated to be of the order of 50-300 A. 

Similar types of lamellar morphologies were observed for triblock copolymers of diphenylsiloxane and dimethylsiloxane having 40 wt% polydiphenylsiloxane, using electron microscopy, 47-148 . The lamellae thickness was approximately equal to the chain length of the rigid polydiphenylsiloxane blocks. These copolymers showed elastomeric properties comparable to those of conventional silica-reinforced, chemically crosslinked silicone rubbers. Tensile tests yielded an initial modulus of 0.5-1 MPa, tensile strength of 6-7 MPa and ultimate elongation between 400 and 800 %. 

Dynamic mechanical analysis of siloxane-urea copolymers show a sharp loss peak around —110 °C corresponding to the Tg of the siloxane segment. The transition in 

Stress-strain tests of these perfectly alternating PDMS-PSF copolymers show that the mechanical behavior is dictated by the volume fraction of PDMS present in the system. At high siloxane content ( 70 wt %), copolymers show elastomeric behavior Hue to the presence of continuous PDMS matrix. An increase in the PSF content resulted in an increase in the initial modulus and the ultimate tensile strength of these materials, while a decrease in the ultimate elongation was also observed, as expected. 

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