Morphological Study of Poly(vinylbenzyl chloride)-Grafted Poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) [ETFE-g-PVBC] Films...

In this study, the effect of degree of the grafting and crosslinking on the morphology of the crystalline domain in poly(vinylbenzyl chloride)-grafted poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) [ETFE-g-PVBC] films was investigated using a SANS (small-angle neutron scattering) analysis. The grafted films can be used as a precursor for ion-exchange membrane. ETFE-g-PVBC films with various degrees of cross-linking were prepared by a simultaneous irradiation grafting of vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) and divinylbenzene (DVB) onto an ETFE film. The SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) results of a cross-sectional distribution of ETFE-g-PVBC films showed that the chlorine atoms were well-distributed throughout the films. SANS profiles of the PVBC-grafted films in the absence of a DVB crosslinker showed that the crystalline domain peaks were observed and the peak maximum position shifted significantly from 0.032 Å-(-1) to 0.02 Å(-1) with an increase in the degree of grafting. However, peak maximum positions of the PVBC-grafted films in the presence of a DVB crosslinker shifted slightly from 0.02 Å(-1) to 0.024 Å(-1) with an increase in the amount of DVB monomer at same degree of grafting. These results indicate that the degree of grafting and crosslinking affect the morphology of the crystalline domain in the ETFE-g-PVBC films.