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Title: Thermal, mechanical, and morphological studies of a depolymerizable graft copolymer thermoplastic
Graft polymers are gaining increasing interest because of their unique architectural characteristics. We recently reported a novel type of depolymerizable graft polymer based on poly(trans-cyclobutane fused cyclooctene), in an effort to address the trade-off between depolymerizability and controlled grafting-through polymerization. In this work, we examine the thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of a graft copolymer thermoplastic material prepared by copolymerizing poly(L-lactide) and margaric acid-based macromonomers. A copolymerization kinetics study reveals that the two macromonomers are incorporated almost randomly and that the domain spacing measured from small-angle X-ray scattering is consistent with the random distribution. An investigation of the crystallization behavior suggests that proper thermal treatment is required to maximize, or to even observe crystallinity. The physical states of the soft and hard domains, whether melt, glassy, or semicrystalline, significantly impact the tensile properties of the resulting copolymer materials. Finally, the rheological properties and morphological features are discussed.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2042494
PAR ID:
10508370
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Springer Nature
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Polymer Journal
Volume:
55
Issue:
11
ISSN:
0032-3896
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1171 to 1178
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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