We discuss the connection between high-temperature mechanics, block structure, and composition of a model series of industrially relevant, soft, thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) containing polydisperse hard blocks (HBs). The high-strain deformation behavior of these materials results from the combination of multiple dynamics in the system, i.e., the HB associations and the mobile and entangled amorphous phase. Many soft-TPEs show a reduction in toughness with increasing temperature. Molecular weight (Mw) has been shown to improve the temperature-dependent mechanics by increasing network connectivity. In this work, we investigate the possibility to increase the network connectivity by tuning block length at constant Mw and composition. The average number of HBs per chain can be used to quantify network connectivity; however, by using block statistics, we show how increasing this value is not enough to increase the high-temperature mechanics, especially in the case of polydisperse HBs. Since temperature affects the HB ability to associate with each other, only the number of associated HBs per chain determines network connectivity. The experimental results are consistent with modeling predictions, revealing how decreasing the average block length influences the crystal stability, which ultimately controls network connectivity, and how this relationship is affected by temperature.
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January 2022
Research Article|
January 01 2022
Effect of block length on the network connectivity and temperature resistance of model, soft thermoplastic elastomers
Special Collection:
Double Dynamics Polymeric Networks
Simone Sbrescia
;
Simone Sbrescia
1
Bio and Soft Matter Division (BSMA), Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (IMCN), Université Catholique de Louvain
, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Paola Nicolella
;
Paola Nicolella
2
Department of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
, Duesbergweg 10-14, Mainz D-55128, Germany
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Tom Engels
;
Tom Engels
a)
3
Materials Science Center, DSM
, Geleen, The Netherlands
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: tom.engels@dsm.com
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Michelle Seitz
Michelle Seitz
3
Materials Science Center, DSM
, Geleen, The Netherlands
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: tom.engels@dsm.com
Note: This paper is part of the special issue on Double Dynamics Polymeric Networks.
Journal of Rheology 66, 177–185 (2022)
Article history
Received:
September 22 2021
Accepted:
November 28 2021
Citation
Simone Sbrescia, Paola Nicolella, Tom Engels, Michelle Seitz; Effect of block length on the network connectivity and temperature resistance of model, soft thermoplastic elastomers. Journal of Rheology 1 January 2022; 66 (1): 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1122/8.0000373
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