Synthesis and bulk properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(isooctyl acrylate)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)

A series of well-defined poly(methymethacrylate) (PMMA)-b-poly (isooctylacrylate) (PIOA)-b-PMMA triblock copolymers (MIM) has been synthesized by transalcoholysis of PMMA-b-poly(tert-butylacrylate) (PtBA)-b-PMMA precursors (MTM) by isooctyl alcohol. Phase separation is observed for all the investigated triblock copolymers, thus containing PMMA outer blocks in the 3500-50,000 molecular weight (MW) range and PIOA inner block with MW in the 100,000-300,000 range. The ultimate tensile properties of these MIM triblock copolymers are poor even when PMMA blocks of 50,000 MW are associated with an inner PIOA block of 300,000 MW. A reasonable explanation should be found in the molecular weight between chain entanglements (M(e)), which has been estimated at 60,000 for PIOA, much higher than M(e) for the traditional polydiene central blocks in the well-known thermoplastic elastomers of the triblock type. The tensile behavior of MIM copolymers has been successfully accounted for by a simple elastomer model free from chain entanglements, supporting the view that the lack of entanglements in the central block is very detrimental to the mechanical properties of the investigated fully (meth)acrylate triblock copolymers. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.