Synthesis and properties of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) segments

Abstract

The synthesis and characterisation of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) and hydrophobic poly(tetramethylene oxide) polyether segments and monodisperse crystallisable bisester tetra-amide segments are reported. The PEO length was varied from 600 to 8000 g/mol and the PTMO length was varied from 650 to 2900 g/mol. The influence of the polyether phase composition on the thermal mechanical and the elastic properties of the resulting copolymers was studied. The use of high melting monodisperse tetra-amide segments resulted in a fast and almost complete crystallisation of the rigid segment. The copolymers had only one polyether glass transition temperature, which suggests that the amorphous polyether segments were homogenously mixed. Thermal analysis of the copolymers showed one polyether melting temperature that was lower than in the case of ideal co-crystallisation between the two polyether segments. However, at PEO or PTMO lengths larger than 2000 g/mol two polyether melting temperatures were observed. The copolymer with the best low temperature properties was based on a mixture of PEO and PTMO segments, both having a molecular weight of 1000 g/mol, at a weight ratio of 30/70.