U.S. Department of Energy
Date of this Version
2006
Abstract
1,3-Cyclohexdiene polymers (PCHD) and their derivatives are of interest due to the six-member rings in the main chain, which are expected to impart higher mechanical strength and better thermal and chemical stability, as compared to common vinyl polymers. For example, hydrogenated PCHD has the highest glass transition temperature (tg ~ 231 °C) of all hydrocarbon polymers, and it also shows good heat, weather, impact, abrasion, and chemical resistance as well as low water absorption. In addition, PCHD has unique photochemical properties, such as excellent transparency, due to the isolated double bonds in the main chain. Also, block copolymers containing PCHD show unusual phase separation behavior. For example, a styrene/1,3-CHD block copolymer (PS-b-PCHD) with 50 vol % CHD (1,4/1,2 ~ 95/5) exhibits a core-shell or hollow cylinder morphology, while a typical styrene/acyclic diene (isoprene or butadiene) block copolymer with similar composition exhibits a lamellar structure. Such phase behavior and many other properties strongly depend on the conformation of the polymer in solution or bulk. However, almost no data have been reported on the conformation of PCHD, probably because of the lack of well-defined and well-characterized samples. Here we report solution properties of PCHD in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform by multiangle laser light scattering, viscometry, and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS).
Comments
Published in Macromolecules 2006, 39, 897-899.