CHARACTERIZATION, MORPHOLOGY AND THERMAL-PROPERTIES OF ETHYLENE PROPYLENE BLOCK COPOLYMERS

Characterization, morphology and thermal properties of commercial ethylene-propylene block copolymers have been studied by C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.), dynamic mechanical analysis (d.m.a.) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained show that there exists some ethylene-propylene random copolymer in the block copolymers extractable by n-heptane. The possibility of forming PP-b-PE diblock copolymer is questionable on the basis of the effects of residual propene and the chain-transfer reaction in the sequential copolymerization. A difference in the thermal properties between commercial ethylene-propylene block copolymers and PP/PE blends was noticed, which cannot be used to identify PP-b-PE diblock copolymer. The multiphase structure has been confirmed by d.m.a. and SEM, with ethylene-propylene random copolymer and polyethylene forming the domains in the matrix of polypropylene.

WATER-SOLUBLE AND AMPHIPHILIC POLYMERS .6. A STUDY ON THE SURFACE-COMPOSITION OF CAST FILMS OF PST/PMAA AND PEO-PST-PEO BLOCK POLYMERS BY XPS

Thin films of PSt/PMAA and PEO-PSt-PEO block polymers were deposited on a polystyrene substrate by solution adsorption (with or without solvent treatment), and the film surfaces were characterized by means of XPS. Direct solvent - casting of PEO-PSt-PEO from benzene solutions resulted in PSt-rich surfaces, whereas PMAA richer surfaces were obtained for PSt/PMAA films cast from DMF solutions. Moreover, solvent treatment after casting had profound effect on the film surface composition. Treatment with water markedly increased the surface concentration of polar PEO segments. In the case of PSt-PMAA block polymers, the PSt content on the surface increased in the order of water < ethanol < cyclohexane < petroleum ether, the last-named giving films with almost pure PSt surface. It is well worth noticing that the bulk composition had little to do with the surface composition for both PSt/PMAA and PEO-PSt-PEO block polymers within the composition range investigated when subsequent solvent treatment was applied.

THE CRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIOUR OF BLOCK COPOLYMER/HOMOPOLYMER BLENDS I. INFLUENCE OF NONSPHERICAL MICELLE ON CRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIOUR IN DILUTE SOLID SOLUTIONS

The effect of micelle on crystallization behaviour of dilute poly(methyl methacrylate-b-tetrahydrofuran) diblock copolymer/tetrahydrofuran homopolymer, dilute poly (ethylene-b-styrene-b-ethylene) triblock copolymer/ethylene homopolymer solutions has been studied. The results show that with the structural teansitions from spherical to nonspherical micelle in the blends, great changes in the nucleation and spherulite morphologies take place.

THE THERMODYNAMICS OF MICELLIZATION BY BLOCK COPOLYMER SEP IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS

The thermodynamics of micellization for polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene/propylene) two-Mock copolymer(SEP) in the mixtures of n-octane and benzene with different proportions have been studied in this paper, The critical micelle concentrations(GMC) of micelle solutions at various temperatures were measured by lost angle laser light scattering photometer(LALLS), The results shove that the micellization process of nonpolar copolymer SEP in hydrocarbon solvents ire exothermal, and the entropy change is negative, In contrast, far ordinary surfactants in water, it is the enthalpy contribution to the energy change which is responsible for micellization.

XPS STUDY ON TERNARY CROSSLINKED BLOCK-COPOLYMER FROM CONDENSATION OF OLIGODIMETHYLSILOXANE WITH POLY-PARA-HYDROXYSTYRENE AND POLYARYLSULFONE OLIGOMERS

XPS has extensively been applied to the study of polymers, in which a considerably important topic is the surface phase separations in block copolymers and blends. Copolymers (or blends) will produce a phase separation if their components are in-

Effect of urea multinutritional molasses block supplementation on liveweight change of yak calves and productive and reproductive performances of yak cows

Using three different types of yaks, 30 head of 1-yr-old calves (liveweight 60.7 +/- 6.3 kg), 30 head of 2-yr-old calves (97.7 +/- 10.2 kg) and 30 head of yak cows (160.2 +/- 15.1 kg) were randomly selected from the same yak herds. Each type of yak herd was divided into control (C) and trial (T) groups using a completely randomized design, with 10 and 20 animals in the C and T groups, respectively. The animals in the C group were grazed on natural rangeland, and the animals in the T group were supplemented with urea multinutritional molasses blocks (UMMB), together with grazing on natural rangeland from January to May of 1998. The objective was to determine the effect of UMMB on productive performance of yak calves and yak cows in the cold season. Live weight loss of 1-yr-old calves, 2-yr-old calves and yak cows was reduced by 1.2, 8.3 and 7.9 kg after UMMB supplementation (P < 0.01). The 1-yr-old calves gained the most in the first month of supplementation, but the 2-yr-old calves and yak cows gained the most both in the first and last supplementation months. Daily milk yield of yak cows increased by 0.21 kg d(-1) when the lactating animals were supplemented with UMMB (P < 0.01), although there was no effect (P < 0.01) of UMMB supplementation on hair and downy hair production. Supplementation with UMMB also improved reproductive performance of yak cows, with 8.8 and 30.9% increments in pregnancy rate and newborn weight, respectively. We conclude that the benefit of UMMB supplementation the 1-yr-old calves was not economical, with only 0.3:1 output to input ratio, but supplementation of the 2-yr-old calves and yak cows may be economical, with 1.8:1 and 1.4:1 output to input ratios, respectively.