We report a study on the mechanical properties of lamellae-forming glassy−semicrystalline block
copolymers composed of poly(cyclohexylethylene) (C) and polyethylene (E). Tensile properties of polydomain
CEC, ECEC, CECEC, and ECECE block copolymers, and blends of these materials, reveal a critical dependence
on the connectivity of the semicrystalline E blocks. A molecular parameter directly related to the fraction of
bridging E blocks is identified, which captures the fracture behavior of C/E block copolymers over a range of
chain architectures. Tensile testing and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments on aligned block
copolymers reveal the role of bridging in the glassy C block and further elucidate the mechanisms that govern
the deformation of microphase-separated lamellar domains and macroscopic fracture in glassy−semicrystalline
block copolymers.
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