Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction
Published on: January 19, 2016
Integration of bulk and interfacial properties in a polymeric system: rubber elasticity at a polybutadiene/water
1Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015-3172, USA.
Abstract:
Oxidation of the surface of cross-linked 1,4-polybutadiene provided a hydrophilic substrate that reconstructed against hot water to become more hydrophobic. Subsequent equilibration against water at room temperature returned its original hydrophilicity. These temperature-dependent changes in the relative concentrations of hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties at the polymer/water interface are interpreted as arising from the entropic influence of chain extension, associated with rubber elasticity. As expected, the magnitude of this effect depended on the cross-link density of the polymer and the degree of oxidation of the surface. The reversibility of the reconstruction when the water was cycled between high and low temperature damped out only gradually over many cycles.
More Related Videos
09:22Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
07:01Preparation of Hollow Polystyrene Particles and Microcapsules by Radical Polymerization of Janus Droplets Consisting of Hydrocarbon and Fluorocarbon Oils
Published on: January 25, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Cohesion
On a surface,...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Classification and Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Polymers
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies with...