P-block

Brown [46] continued the contact mechanics work on elastomers and interfacial chains in his studies on the effect of interfacial chains on friction. In these studies. Brown used a crosslinked PDMS spherical cap in contact with a layer of PDMS-PS block copolymer. The thickness, and hence the area density, of the PDMS-PS layer was varied. The thickness was varied from 1.2 nm (X = 0.007 chains per nm-) to 9.2 nm (X = 0.055 chains per nm-). It was found that the PDMS layer thickness was less than about 2.4 nm, the frictional force between the PDMS network and the flat surface layer was high, and it was also higher than the frictional force between the PDMS network and bare PS. When the PDMS layer thicknesses was 5.6 nm and above, the frictional force decreased dramatically well below the friction between PDMS and PS. Based on these data Brown [46] concluded that ... 

The main experimental techniques used to study the failure processes at the scale of a chain have involved the use of deuterated polymers, particularly copolymers, at the interface and the measurement of the amounts of the deuterated copolymers at each of the fracture surfaces. The presence and quantity of the deuterated copolymer has typically been measured using forward recoil ion scattering (FRES) or secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The technique was originally used in a study of the effects of placing polystyrene-polymethyl methacrylate (PS-PMMA) block copolymers of total molecular weight of 200,000 Da at an interface between polyphenylene ether (PPE or PPO) and PMMA copolymers [1]. The PS block is miscible in the PPE. The use of copolymers where just the PS block was deuterated and copolymers where just the PMMA block was deuterated showed that, when the interface was fractured, the copolymer molecules all broke close to their junction points The basic idea of this technique is shown in Fig, I. 

PS and PB homopolymers are immiscible. Any added PB-PS block copolymer in a PS-PB blend will have one sequence miscible in PS and one sequence miscible in PB, hence they will localise at the interface. As a consequence, the interfacial energy will decrease, greatly helping dispersion and providing phase adhesion, thus a transfer of mechanical properties. 

In a pure PB-PS block copolymer, both sequences are immiscible and the microstructure will be diphasic (at a supramolecular or nanoscopic level). If the ratio is such that PS particles are dispersed into a matrix of PB, below the Tg of PS, the system behaves like crosslinked PB, hence as an elastomer. However, above the Tg of PS, the system becomes viscous and can be processed like a thermoplastic. 

A half-metallocene iron iodide carbonyl complex Fe(Cp)I(CO)2 was found to induce the living radical polymerization of methyl acrylate and f-bulyl acrylate with an iodide initiator (CH3)2C(C02Et)I and Al(Oi- Pr)3 to provide controlled molecular weights and rather low molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn < 1.2) [79]. The living character of the polymerization was further tested with the synthesis of the PMA-fc-PS and PtBuA-fi-PS block copolymers. The procedure efficiently provided the desired block copolymers, albeit with low molecular weights. 

A general strategy developed for the synthesis of supramolecular block copolymers involves the preparation of macromolecular chains end-capped with a 2,2 6/,2//-terpyridine ligand which can be selectively complexed with RUCI3. Under these conditions only the mono-complex between the ter-pyridine group and Ru(III) is formed. Subsequent reaction with another 2,2 6/,2"-terpyridine terminated polymer under reductive conditions for the transformation of Ru(III) to Ru(II) leads to the formation of supramolecular block copolymers. Using this methodology the copolymer with PEO and PS blocks was prepared (Scheme 42) [ 107]. 

A combination of ATRP and ROP was employed for the synthesis of PLLA-fr-PS block copolymers and PLLA-fr-PS-fo-PMMA triblock terpoly-mers [120]. Styrene was initially polymerized using the functional initiator /3-hydroxyethyl a-bromobutyrate, HEBB, and the catalytic system CuBr/bpy. 

An interesting procedure has been proposed for the synthesis of amylose-b-PS block copolymers through the combination of anionic and enzymatic polymerization [131]. PS end-functionalized with primary amine or dimethylsilyl, -SiMe2H groups were prepared by anionic polymerization techniques, as shown in Scheme 56. The PS chains represented by the curved lines in Scheme 56 were further functionalized with maltoheptaose oligomer either through reductive amination (Scheme 57) or hydrosilyla-tion reactions (Scheme 58). In the first case sodium cyanoborohydride was used to couple the saccharide moiety with the PS primary amine group. 

Sodium 4-oxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-l-piperidinyloxy, TEMPONa, was used as a bifunctional initiator for the synthesis of PEO-fc-PS block copolymers [133]. Initially the ROP of EO was performed in THF at 60 °C to provide narrow molecular weight distribution chains with terminal TEMPO moieties. Using these functionalized PEO chains the polymerization of styrene was... 

ATRP and grafting from methods led to the synthesis of poly(styrene-g-tert-butyl acrylate)-fr-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-fr-poly(styrene-g-ferf-butyl acrylate) block-graft copolymer [203]. ATRP initiating sites were produced along the PS blocks by chloromethylation as shown in Scheme 112. These sites then served to polymerize the ferf-butyl acrylate. The poly(ferf-butyl acrylate) grafts were hydrolyzed to result in the corresponding poly(acrylic... 

In analogy to linear-block copolymers different cases can be distinguished when blending asymmetric miktoarm (PS-PI)n-PS and H-shaped (PS-PI)3-PS-(PI-PS)3 copolymers with homopolymer PS [122]. If the latter s molecular weight is lower than the respective PS block, a transition from the L structure to hexagonally packed cylinders without observation of an intervening cubic morphology is observed in the case of the (PS-PI)n-PS types. If the H-shaped (PS-PI)3-PS-(PI-PS)3 star-block copolymer is blended with 30% to... 

Fig. 43 Plot of normalized lamellar long periods, Dn/Rg,m of (PS) -arm-(PI)M miktoarm-star copolymers (n = 1, 2, 4 and 16) divided by corresponding diblocks of same series, Di/Rg,u against respective star functionality, n. Normalization factor PgiM represents unperturbed radius of gyration of diblock consisting of one PS block, one PI block and average number of bonds linking these two arms through core. From [121]. Copyright 2003 American Chemical Society...

The appearance and persistence of core-shell structures as well as the occurrence of phase separation are attributed to a small asymmetry in the X -parameters (xPS-pi = 0.06, xpi-pdms = 0.09 and xps-pdms = 0.20). Hence, a PDMS core surrounded by a PI shell embedded in a PS matrix results in a smaller inner diameter interfacial area, relative to that for the PS-PI case. In a blend of a PS-fo-PI-fc-PDMS triblock with PS and PDMS homopolymers, more PS homopolymer is expected to be found in the corona of the PS block than PDMS homopolymer in the corona of the PDMS block because the penalty for contact between the PI block and PDMS homopolymer is larger. In consequence, the distribution of homopolymers favours an expanded PS-PI interface, making the core-shell morphologies, gyroid and cylinder, more prevalent. 

For some soft particles effective anchoring may require covalent grafting of the incompatible PS blocks to the core polymer. 

Much work on the preparation of nonaqueous polymer dispersions has involved the radical polymerization of acrylic monomers in the presence of copolymers having the A block the same as the acrylic polymer in the particle core 2). The preparation of polymer dispersions other than polystyrene in the presence of a PS-PDMS diblock copolymer is of interest because effective anchoring of the copolymer may be influenced by the degree of compatibility between the PS anchor block and the polymer molecules in the particle core. The present paper describes the interpretation of experimental studies performed with the aim of determining the mode of anchoring of PS blocks to polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA) particles. 

Flocculation studies (6) indicated that the mechanism of steric stabilization operates for the PMMA dispersions. The stability of PMMA dispersions was examined further by redispersion of the particles in cyclohexane at 333 K. Above 307 K, cyclohexane is a good solvent for PS and PDMS, and if the PS-PDMS block copolymer was not firmly anchored, desorption of stabilizer by dissolution should occur at 333 K followed by flocculation of the PMMA dispersion. However, little change in dispersion stability was observed over a period of 60 h. Consequently, we may conclude that the PS blocks are firmly anchored within the hard PMMA matrix. However, the indication from neutron scattering of aggregates of PS(D) blocks in PMMA particles may be explained by the observation that two different polymers are often not very compatible on mixing (10) so that the PS(D) blocks are tending to... 

PVA Particles. Dispersions were prepared in order to examine stabilization for a core polymer having a glass transition temperature below the dispersion polymerization temperature. PVA particles prepared with a block copolymer having M PS) x 10000 showed a tendency to flocculate at ambient temperature during redispersion cycles to remove excess block copolymer, particularly if the dispersion polymerization had not proceeded to 100 conversion of monomer. It is well documented that on mixing solutions of polystyrene and poly(vinyl acetate) homopolymers phase separation tends to occur (10,11), and solubility studies (12) of PS in n-heptane suggest that PS blocks with Mn(PS) 10000 will be close to dissolution when dispersion polymerizations are performed at 3 +3 K. Consequently, we may postulate that for soft polymer particles the block copolymer is rejected from the particle because of an incompatibility effect and is adsorbed at the particle surface. If the block copolymer desorbs from the particle surface, then particle agglomeration will occur unless rapid adsorption of other copolymer molecules occurs from a reservoir of excess block copolymer. 

With a careful redispersion technique stable dispersions free of excess block copolymer are produced for PVA particles with the anchoring PS block having Mn(PS) > 30000. This suggests that more effective anchoring occurs when the solubility of the block... 

Therefore, at room temperature Fluoro-PSB-II a thermoplastic elastomer with a soft polymer phase (fluorinated block) and a hard phase (PS-block), similar to the parental polystyrene-6-polybutadiene block copolymer. Depending on the relative volume fraction of both components and the continuity of the phases, the resulting bulk material is rubbery or a high-impact solid. 

An example of the incorporation of an external component on the crystallization behavior of triblock copolymers was given by Schmalz et al. [126]. They obtained PS-fo-poly(ethylene-co-propylene)-fo-PE (PS-fo-PEP-fr-PE) triblock copolymers from the hydrogenation of PS-fr-PI-fo-PB. PS-fo-PEP-fr-PE triblock copolymers have the peculiarity that PEP and PE have an interaction parameter of 0.007 at 120 °C therefore, they form a homogeneous melt, which is segregated from the PS block and can be considered as an intermediate case between diblock and triblock copolymers. The crystallization of the PE block occurs at about 60 °C and the authors evaluated the influence of the incorporation of a solvent during the crystallization and segregation processes under... 

Reverse micelles from PMAA and PAA-containing copolymers have been extensively studied by Eisenberg and coworkers [104,105]. These authors considered the micellization of the so-called "block ionomers formed of a major PS block linked to ionized PAA and PMAA segments. Stable spherical micelles were formed by these copolymers in organic solvents such as toluene. Their characteristic size was systematically investigated by a combination of experimental techniques including TEM, SAXS, DLS, and SLS. The micelles were shown to consist of an ionic core and a PS corona. The mobility of the PS segments located near the ionic core was found to be restricted, as discussed in Sect. 2.4. 

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