Poly(silmethylene)-based polymer blends. I. in situ polymerization of 1,3-disilacyclobutanes in silicon-based polymers

Abstract

The in situ polymerization of 1,1,3,3-tetraphenyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane with or without a catalyst in flexible organo-silicon polymers was demonstrated to provide poly(silmethylene)-based polymer blends. An alternative route, which implies preparation of blends via synthesis of a flexible polymer in the presence of a rigid polymer, was also promising. The resulting polymer blends were characterized by DSC, dynamic mechanical analysis, and solvent extraction. No chemical interaction is observed between component polymers of blends prepared by the in situ bulk polymerization method while formation of block or graft copolymers comprising poly(diphenylsilmethylene) and flexible polymers is suggested when in situ copper-catalyzed polymerization was employed. A morphological difference between samples synthesized by the different methods was suggested by microscopic observation.