Isothermal crystallization of PP-g-GMA copolymer

The overall isothermal crystallization kinetics for neat polypropylene and grafted polypropylene systems were investigated. The rate constants were corrected assuming the heterogeneous nucleation and three dimensional growth of polypropylene spherulites. A semiempirical equation for the radial growth rate of polypropylene spherulites was developed as a function of temperature, and was used to determine the number of effective nuclei of different temperatures. The number of nuclei in grafted samples was estimated to be 10(2)-10(3) times larger than that of neat polypropylene. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Synthesis and ionic conductivity studies of solid polymer electrolytes based on modified alternating maleic anhydride copolymer with oligo(oxyethylene) side chains

Comb-like polymers (CP) based on modified alternating methyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymer with oligo-oxyethylene side chains of the type-O(CH2CH2O)(n)CH3 have been synthesized and characterized, and complexed with LiNO3 to form an amorphous polymer electrolyte. CP/salt complexes showed conductivity up to 10(-5) S/cm at room temperature. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity suggests that the ion transport is controlled by segmental motion of the polymer, shown by linear curves obtained in Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher plots. The ionic conductivity maximum moves to a higher salt concentration as the temperature increases. IR results also indicate that the ester in CP might decompose at 140 degrees C and reproduce the maleic anhydride ring.

Rheological studies on the phase dissolution in a block copolymer

The microphase transition in a styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer was studied by rheometric mechanical spectroscopy. A high-temperature-melt rheological transition from the highly elastic, nonlinear viscous behavior typical of a multiphase structure to linear viscous behavior with insignificant elasticity typical of a single-phase structure was observed. The transition temperature is determined according to the discontinuity of the rheological properties across the transition region, which agrees well with the results obtained from the small angle X-ray scattering data and the expectation of the random phase approximation theory. Maybe for the first time, microphase dissolution was investigated theologically. The storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G '') increase with time during the process. An entanglement fluctuation model based on the segmental density fluctuations is presented to explain the rheological behavior in this dissolution process. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons.

Crystalline behavior and critical crystalline sequence length of propylene/alpha-olefin copolymer

The melting points(T-m), crystalline temperature(T-c) and crystallinity(chi(c)) of propylene/alpha-olefin (pentene-l, octene-1 and decene-1) copolymers have been investigated, The results show that the T-m, T-c and chi(c) of the copolymers are lower than those of propylene homopolymer, indicating that lower alpha-olefin incorporation in copolymer has strongly hampered the crystallization of propylene, From critical crystalline sequence length of several propylene/alpha-olefin copolymers, it can be seen that a long chain alpha-olefin has much stronger effect on crystallization of PP than a short alpha-olefin does.

Thermal analysis of ethylene-propylene copolymer-grafted-glycidyl methacrylate

The thermal properties of ethylene-propylene copolymer grafted with glycidyl methacrylate (EP-g-GMA) were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Compared to the plain ethylene-propylene copolymer (EP), peak values of melting temperature (T-m) of the propylene sequences in the grafted EP changed a little, crystallization temperature (T-c) increased about 8-12 degrees C, and melting enthalpy (Delta H-m) increased about 4-6 J/g. The isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of grafted and ungrafted samples was carried out by DSC. Within the scope of the researched crystallization temperature, the Avrami exponent (n) of ungrafted sample is 1.6-1.8, and those of grafted samples are all above 2. The crystallization rates of propylene sequence in EP-g-GMA were faster than that in the plain EP and increased with increasing of grafted monomer content. It might be attributed to the results of rapid nucleation rate. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Lithium ion conducting polymer electrolytes based on alternating maleic anhydride copolymer with oligo-oxyethylene side chains

A comb polymer with oligo-oxyethylene side chains of the type -(CH2CB2O)(12)CH3 was prepared from methyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymer and poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether. The polymer can dissolve LiClO4 salt to form homogeneous amorphous polymer electrolyte. The ac ion conduction was measured using the complex impedance method, and conductivities were investigated as functions of temperatures and salt concentration. The complexes were first found to have two classes of glass transition which increase with increasing salt content, The optimum conductivity attained at 25 degrees C is in the order of 5.50 x 10(-6)Scm(-1). IR spectroscopy was used to study the cation-polymer interaction.

Crystallization behaviour of poly(ether ether ketone)/poly(ether sulfone) block copolymer

The crystallization and melting behaviours of a multiblock copolymer comprising poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and poly(ether sulfone) (PES) blocks whose number average molecular weights <((M)over bar (n)'s)> were 10 000 and 2900, respectively, were studied. The effect of thermal history on crystallization was investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurement. A differential scanning calorimeter was used to detect the thermal transitions and to monitor the energy evolved during the isothermal crystallization process from the melt. The results suggest that the crystallization of the copolymer becomes more difficult as compared with that of pure PEEK. The equilibrium melting point of the copolymer was found to be 357 degrees C, about 30 degrees C lower than that of pure PEEK. During the isothermal crystallization, relative crystallinity increased with crystallization time, following an Avrami equation with exponent n approximate to 2. The fold surface free energy for the copolymer crystallized from the melt was calculated to be 73 erg cm(-2), about 24 erg cm(-2) higher than that of pure PEEK. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.

The miscibility of homopolymer random copolymer blends .1. Poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) poly(ethyl methacrylate) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

The miscibility of blends of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) has been investigated by means of NMR and DSC techniques. It is found that there are intermolecular interactions between the phenyl groups in SAN and carbonyl groups in PMMA or PEMA, and the strength of this intermolecular interaction strongly depends on the properties of ester side groups in PEMA or PMMA, composition of the blends and a certain composition of the copolymer. It is this specific interaction instead of the intramolecular repulsion force within the copolymer that plays a key role for the miscibility of SAN/PMMA and SAN/PEMA blends.

The miscibility of homopolymer random copolymer blends .4. Poly(vinylidene chloride-co-acrylonitrile) poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

The miscibility of blends of poly(vinylidene chloride-co-acrylonitrile) (VDC-AN) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been studied with DSC, FT-IR, and NMR methods. The results indicate that the VDC-AN/PMMA blends are miscibile on a molecular level, and the dipole-dipole interactions between C=O and C-Cl-2 and/or interpolymer hydrogen bondings between COOCH3 and CN and CCl groups play the role on the miscibility of the blends. It is found that the -CCl2- groups have two different chemical environments in the pure VDC-AN copolymer, which may result from the different configurations of the copolymer, such as -CCl2- groups in the ''alternating'' segments and -CCl2- groups in the ''blocky'' segments as proposed. It is the -CCl2- group in the ''alternating'' segment that takes part in the dipole-dipole interaction with C=O group in PMMA.

The determination of ethylene-propylene copolymer-grafted-glycidyl methacrylate by the contact angle method

The contact angles theta of some liquids on ethylene-propylene copolymer-grafted-glycidyl methacrylate (EPM-g-GMA) were measured. The critical surface tensions r(c) of EPM-g-GMA were evaluated by the Zisman Plot (cos theta versus r(L)), Young-Dupre-Good-Girifalco plot (1 + cos theta versus 1/r(L)(0.5)) and log (1 + cos theta) versus log(r(L)) plot. The following results were obtained: the r(c) values varied significantly with the estimation methods. The critical surface tension r(c) decreased with the increase of the degree of grafting of EPM-g-GMA.

Rheological properties and crystallization behavior of yttrium oxide filled low ethylene content polypropylene copolymer

The rheological properties and crystallization characteristics of low ethylene content poly propylene (EPM) with and without Yittrium oxide (Y2O3) as a filler was investigated by cone-plate viscometer and differential scanning calorimetry. Yittrium oxide had a profound effect on the viscosities of the systems. To determine the nonisothermal crystallization rate of the materials, a new estimation method was used. From the results, we can conclude that Y2O3 acts as a nucleating agent, which increased the crystallization rate of the EPM. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Crafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto ethylene-propylene copolymer: Preparation and characterization

Ethylene-propylene copolymer (EP) was functionalized with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) by means of a radical-initiated melt grafting reaction. FTIR and ESCA were used to characterize the formation of EP-g-GMA copolymers. The content of GMA in EP-g-GMA was determined by using hydrochloric acid/xylene titration. Effects of concentrations of GMA and dicumyl peroxide on grafting rate were studied. It was found that contact angles of the water on surfaces of EP-g-GMA samples increased with increasing content of GMA in EP-g-GMA. The influence of the content of GMA on the crystallization structure of EP-g-GMA was investigated by DSC and WAXD. Compared with the plain EP, the crystallization temperature of propylene blocks of EP-g-GMA increased over 10 K, and the melting temperature and crystallinity decreased somewhat. Functionalization of EP led to the change of the crystal form of propylene blocks from the mixed form of alpha and beta into the alpha form. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Compositional dependence of the microphase separation transition in styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer/polystyrene blends

The change in the microphase separation transition (MST) temperature of a styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) triblock copolymer induced by the addition of polystyrene (PS) was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering. It was found that the transition temperature was determined from the molecular weight (M(H)) Of the added PS in relation to that of the corresponding blocks (M(A)) in the copolymer. The MST temperature decreased with added PS if M(H)/M(A) < 1/4, while it increased with added PS when M(H)/M(A) > 1/4 Analysis of the theoretical expression based on the random phase approximation showed exactly the same tendency of change in the transition temperatures as that observed experimentally. The interaction parameter, chi(SB), obtained by nonlinear fitting of the scattering profiles of SBS/PS blends in the disordered state, was found to be a function of temperature and composition. Composition fluctuations were found to exist in SBS/PS blends, increasing with increasing addition of PS but diminishing with increasing molecular weight of the added PS.

Studies on water-swellable elastomer .1. Synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic polymer

A new amphiphilic polymer i.e., polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted crystalline neoprene, which was used as compatibilizer to improve the compatibility of elastomer and water-absorbent resin, has been investigated. The synthesis was based on the reaction between chlorine in neoprene and sodium salts of PEG. PEGs with molecular weights of 600 and 2000 were used. The grafting percent and the PEG content were calculated through elemental analysis of chlorine in the resulted copolymers. The maximum grafting percent of copolymers was ca. 24.80%. The molecular parameters such as number-average molecular weight and the average number of grafting chains on one CR backbone were also calculated and discussed. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ionic conductivity of gel electrolyte based on polydiethylene glycol dimethacrylate and its copolymer

Gel electrolytes were prepared by thermal polymerization of diethylene glycol dimethacrylate (DIEGD) or its copolymer with methoxy polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate, molecular weight 400 (PEM(400)), at a molar ratio of 3/1 in the presence of propylene carbonate (PC) and LiClO4. Conductivity was measured by impedance spectroscopy. It was found that the conductivity data follow the Arrhenius equation in the homopolymer gel system, while the VTF equation holds true in the copolymer gel system. An increase in conductivity was observed in the copolymer gel system. However, whether in the homopolymer or in the copolymer gel system, a maximum ambient temperature conductivity was found at a salt concentration near 1.50 mol/l. Further, the activation energy values calculated from Arrhenius plots for the homopolymer gel system tended to reach a minimum value with increasing salt concentration. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd