Abstract
Due to its unique elastic deformation characteristics, rubber is used in all kinds of industrial products. However, the huge amount of energy consumed during the vulcanization and molding processes and the recyclability of rubber, which has been used industrially in the past, have become problems. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are attracting attention as a material to solve this problem. TPEs are microphase-separated into the hard segment (HS) phase and the soft segment (SS) phase. The SS phase serves as the rubber component that provides softness, while the HS phase is fluid at high temperatures but serves as a physical cross-linking point that prevents deformation at room temperature. As a result, it is attracting attention as an alternative material to rubber because it is easy to mold and process and can be recycled. In this study, Styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene triblock copolymers (SEBS) , which is a styrenic-based thermoplastic elastomer, and α-methylstyrene-ethylene-butylene-α-methylstyrene triblock copolymers, in which the PS blocks are replaced by α-methylstyrene is prepared and differences in structure and physical properties at the nanoscale were discussed using a nano-palpation atomic force microscopy (AFM) .
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