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Published on: July 9, 2015
Influence of Controlled Epoxidation of an Asymmetric Styrene/Butadiene Star Block Copolymer on Structural and
Shankar P Khatiwada1,2,3, Ulrike Staudinger3, Dieter Jehnichen3
1Research Center for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST), Tribhuvan University, P. O. Box 1030, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal.
Abstract:
The chemical modification (namely the epoxidation) of a star shaped block copolymer (BCP) based on polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB) and its effect on structural and mechanical properties of the polymer were investigated. Epoxidation degrees of 37 mol%, 58 mol%, and 82 mol% were achieved by the reaction of the copolymer with meta-chloroperoxy benzoic acid (m-CPBA) under controlled conditions. The BCP structure was found to change from lamellae-like to mixed-type morphologies for intermediate epoxidation level while leading to quite ordered cylindrical structures for the higher level of chemical modification. As a consequence, the glass transition temperature (T) of the soft PB component of the BCP shifted towards significantly higher temperature. A clear increase in tensile modulus and tensile strength with a moderate decrease in elongation at break was observed. The epoxidized BCPs are suitable as reactive templates for the fabrication of nanostructured thermosetting resins.
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