Premium
“Compatibilizing effect” in interpenetrating polymer networks
Author(s) -
Du Prez Filip,
Goethals Eric J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.1995.021960318
Subject(s) - copolymer , miscibility , interpenetrating polymer network , acrylate , polymer chemistry , materials science , polymer , dynamic mechanical analysis , methacrylate , methyl methacrylate , chemical engineering , composite material , engineering
α,ω‐Acrylate terminated poly(1,3‐dioxolane) (polyDXL) was copolymerized with methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate for the synthesis of block copolymer networks. It was shown by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) that the presence of covalent bonds between poly DXL and the polyacrylate leads to a high degree of compatibility. In contrast, the combination of the same two components in network form, leading to sequential interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN's), resulted in phase‐separated materials. When the above‐mentioned block copolymer structures, in which one of the blocks is chemically identical to the polyacrylate used in the second network, were applied in the first network of the IPN, an increase of miscibility between the two types of polymers was observed. DMTA analysis revealed that the morphology of these IPN's could be varied from phase‐separated to homogeneous materials by increasing the polyacrylate fraction in the first block copolymer network. The possibility to degrade the poly DXL segments in an acid environment allows the complete degradation and extraction of one network in the IPN's and hence provided an interesting approach to the study of domain characteristics by optical microscopy.