All-Acrylic Multigraft Copolymers: Effect of Side Chain Molecular Weight and Volume Fraction on Mechanical Behavior

Design, synthesis, and characterization of lightly sulfonated multigraft acrylate-based copolymer superelastomers

Multigraft copolymer superelastomers consisting of a poly(n-butyl acrylate) backbone and polystyrene side chains were synthesized and the viscoelastic properties of the non-sulfonated and sulfonated final materials were investigated using extensional rheology (SER3). The non-linear viscoelastic experiments revealed significantly increased true stresses (up to 10 times higher) after sulfonating only 2-3% of the copolymer while the materials maintained high elongation (<700%). The linear viscoelastic experiments showed that the storage and loss modulus are increased by sulfonation and that the copolymers can be readily tuned and further improved by increasing the number of branching points and the molecular weight of the backbone. In this way, we show that by tuning not only the molecular characteristics of the multigraft copolymers but also their architecture and chemical interaction, we can acquire thermoplastic superelastomer materials with desired viscoelastic properties.

Reversible-addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mediated depolymerization of brush polymers

Brush polymers synthesized by reversible-addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization undergo controlled depolymerization when heated as dictated by polymerization thermodynamics.

All-acrylic superelastomers: facile synthesis and exceptional mechanical behavior

All-acrylic multigraft copolymers made by a facile synthesis procedure exhibit elongation at break >1700% and strain recovery behavior far exceeding those of commercial acrylic and styrenic triblock copolymers.

Tough and Sustainable Graft Block Copolymer Thermoplastics

Fully sustainable poly[HPMC-g-(PMVL-b-PLLA)] graft block copolymer thermoplastics were prepared from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), β-methyl-δ-valerolactone (MVL), and l-lactide (LLA) using a facile two-step sequential addition approach. In these materials, rubbery PMVL functions as a bridge between the semirigid HPMC backbone and the hard PLLA end blocks. This specific arrangement facilitates PLLA crystallization, which induces microphase separation and physical cross-linking. By changing the backbone molar mass or side chain composition, these thermoplastic materials can be easily tailored to access either plastic or elastomeric behavior. Moreover, the graft block architecture can be utilized to overcome the processing limitations inherent to linear block polymers. Good control over molar mass and composition enables the deliberate design of HPMC-g-(PMVL-b-PLLA) samples that are incapable of microphase separation in the melt state. These materials are characterized by relatively low zero shear viscosities in the melt state, an indication of easy processability. The simple and scalable synthetic procedure, use of inexpensive and renewable precursors, and exceptional rheological and mechanical properties make HPMC-g-(PMVL-b-PLLA) polymers attractive for a broad range of applications.