Study of semicrystalline-amorphous diblock copolymers: 1. Microphase separation, glass transition and crystallization of tetrahydrofuran-methyl methacrylate diblock copolymers

Abstract

The microphase separation, glass transition and crystallization of two series of tetrahydrofuran-methyl methacrylate diblock copolymers (PTHF- b-PMMA), one with a given PTHF block of M n = 5100 and the other with a given PTHF block of M n = 7000 , were studied in this present work. In the case of solution-cast materials, the microphase separation of the copolymer takes place first, with crystallization then gradually starting in the formed PTHF microphase. The T g of the PMMA microphase shows a strong dependence on the molecular weight of the PMMA block, while the T g of the PTHF microphase shows a strong dependence on the copolymer composition. The non-isothermal crystallization temperature ( T c) of the diblock copolymer decreases rapidly and continuously with the increase in the amorphous PMMA weight fraction; the lowest T c of the copolymer is ca. 35 K lower than the T c of the PTHF homopolymer. There also exists a T c dependence on the molecular weight of the PTHF block. In addition, when the major component of the copolymer is PMMA, a strong dependence of the crystallizability of the copolymer on the molecular weight of the PTHF block is observed; the higher the molecular weight, then the stronger its crystallizability. The melting temperature of the block copolymer is dependent on the copolymer composition and the molecular weight of its crystallizable block.