Star-Shaped Thermoplastic Elastomers Prepared via RAFT Polymerization

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Styrene-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are industrially significant due to their excellent performance.
• Traditional TPE preparation methods, like anionic polymerization, require stringent conditions.
• Controlled/living radical polymerization (CRP) offers advanced control over polymer synthesis and complex architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize core crosslinked star-shaped poly(styrene-b-isoprene-b-styrene)s (SISs) for the first time.
• To investigate the factors influencing the star-forming process using RAFT polymerization.
• To compare the properties of star-shaped SISs with linear analogues.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of star-shaped and linear triblock SISs via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.
• Controlled/living radical polymerization of isoprene.
• Characterization of mechanical and thermal properties.
• Microscopic fractional phase structure analysis.

Main Results:

• Successful controlled/living radical polymerization of isoprene was achieved.
• Factors influencing the star-forming process were investigated.
• Both linear and star-shaped SISs exhibited good tensile properties.
• A certain phase separation structure was observed in both architectures.

Conclusions:

• Star-shaped SISs can be synthesized using RAFT polymerization, offering an alternative to traditional methods.
• The synthesized star-shaped SISs demonstrate thermoplastic elastomer characteristics.
• The study highlights the potential of CRP in creating complex polymer architectures with desirable properties.