Synthesis and Characterization of Linear and Three-Arm Star Radial Poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) Block Copolymers Using Blocked Dicumyl Chloride or Tricumyl Chloride/TiCl4/Pyridine Initiating System

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1993

Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

Abstract

Linear and three-arm star styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene block copolymers were synthesized by living cationic polymerization using ring-substituted di- or tricumyl chloride, respectively, as initiator, TiCl4 as coinitiator, pyridine as an electron donor and 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine as a proton trap in a 60/40 (v/v) methylcyclohexane/methyl chloride solvent mixture at -80-degrees-C. The polymers had equivalent compositions and segmental molecular weights allowing the effect of molecular geometry on sample morphology and physical properties to be determined. The samples exhibited a dual-phase morphology consisting of cylindrical polystyrene domains dispersed within a matrix of polyisobutylene; polymer geometry was found to have a significant effect on the tensile properties, with the three-arm star sample displaying a tensile strength twice that of the linear sample. In addition, the three-arm star block copolymer was found to have a higher rubbery plateau modulus than the linear block copolymer. Due to their perfectly saturated mid-block, polyisobutylene-based block copolymers were found to be much more thermally stable than the closely related styrene-b-(ethylene-co-1-butene)-b-styrene block copolymers (hydrogenated polybutadiene centre block).

Publication Title

Polymer

Volume

34

Issue

20

First Page

4330

Last Page

4335

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