Tunable thermoplastic elastomer gels derived from controlled-distribution triblock copolymers with crystallizable endblocks

Hames, Nathan T.; Balsbough, Drew; Yan, Jiaqi; Wu, Siyu; Zuo, Xiaobing; Spontak, Richard J.

doi:10.1039/d3mh01018j

Tunable thermoplastic elastomer gels derived from controlled-distribution triblock copolymers with crystallizable endblocks

Journal Article · Fri Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Materials Horizons

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/d3mh01018j· OSTI ID:2404988

Hames, Nathan T. ^[1]; Balsbough, Drew ^[2]; Yan, Jiaqi ^[3]; Wu, Siyu ^[4]; Zuo, Xiaobing ^[4]; ^[5]

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Pfizer, Rocky Mount, NC (United States)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Deloitte, Charlotte, NC (United States)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Kraton Corporation, Houston, TX (United States)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), a commercially important category of triblock copolymers, are employed alone or upon physical modification with a midblock-selective oil (to form TPE gels, TPEGs) in a broad range of contemporary technologies. While most copolymers in this class of self-networking macromolecules possess glassy polystyrene endblocks and a rubbery polydiene or polyolefin midblock, we investigate TPEGs fabricated from a novel controlled-distribution copolymer with crystallizable polyolefin endblocks and a random-copolymer midblock. According to both electron microscopy and small-angle scattering, the morphologies of these TPEGs remain largely invariant up to 40 wt% oil and then transform considerably at higher oil levels. Although reductions in endblock melting point and crystallinity measured by thermal calorimetry accompany increasing oil content, mechanical properties such as the uniaxial strain at break and fracture toughness improve in some cases by over 50% between 5 and 40 wt% oil. In fact, the strain at break can reach 2500% within this range, thereby confirming that (i) the structure–property relationships of these unique TPEGs are highly composition-tunable and (ii) these TPEGs, stabilized by crystallizable endblocks, provide an attractive alternative for ultrasoft and stretchy recyclable materials.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 2404988

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1996876

Journal Information:: Materials Horizons, Journal Name: Materials Horizons Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 10; ISSN 2051-6347

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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