Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.35, No.16, 3507-3515, 1997
Poly(Glycidyl Methacrylate(GMA) Methylmethacrylate(MMA)-B-Butadiene(B)-B-GMA/MMA) Reactive Thermoplastic Elastomers - Synthesis and Characterization
New block copolymers of the ABA type, where B stands for polybutadiene (PBD) and A for polyglycidylmethacrylate (PGMA), poly(methylmethacrylate(MMA)co-GMA) and PMMA-b-PGMA, respectively, have been successfully synthesized by using the diadduct of tert-butyllithium (tert-BuLi) to meta-diisopropenylbenzene (m-DIB) as a difunctional initiator. The PBD midblock has been synthesized in a cyclohexane/diethylether (100/6, v/v) mixture at room temperature, whereas the methacrylate outer blocks have been synthesized in a cyclohexane/diethylether/THF (100/6/150, v/v/v) mixture at -78 degrees C. Block copolymers of a very narrow molecular weight distribution (1.10) have been analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and tensile testing. These materials are phase separated and can exhibit tensile strength up to 22 MPa together with very high elongation at break (1500%).