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One of the requirements of engine lubricating oil is that it must have a low enough viscosity at low temperatures to assist in cold starting and a high enough viscosity at high temperatures to maintain its load-bearing characteristics. Viscosity Index (VI) is one approach used widely in the lubricating field to assess the variation of viscosity with temperature. The VI of both mineral and synthetic base oils can be improved by the addition of polymeric viscosity modifiers (VMs). VI improvement by VMs is widely attributed to the polymer coil size expanding with increasing temperature. However, there is very little physical data supporting this generally accepted mechanism. To address this issue, intrinsic viscosity measurements and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) have been used to study the variation of polymer coil size with changing temperature and concentration in a selection of solvents. The results will show that coil size expansion with temperature is not necessary to achieve significant elevation of viscosity index.

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Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN's) of polybutadiene (PB) and polystyrene (PS) were prepared using both random (containing 36% cis, 55% trans, and 9% 1,2 vinyl) PB and high‐cis PB. For both series, a wide range of PB/PS compositions were synthesized. Using samples stained with osmium tetroxide, electron microscope studies revealed an irregular cellular structure of a few hundred Ångstrom diameter with the first component, PB, making up the cell walls. The size of the cells was found to depend on the PB crosslink density for the random materials. Modulus‐temperature data revealed two distinct glass transitions, confirming the microscopy finding of two phases. However, the transition temperature and transition slope varied with composition, and with the microstructure of the polybutadiene, giving evidence of significant molecular mixing. Stress‐strain data on the IPN's showed that materials rich in PB behave like self‐reinforced elastomers. Charpy impact resistance experiments on materials rich in PS indicated values of 5 ft‐lb/in. of notch, which compares well with graft‐type polyblends of similar PB/PS composition. The results were interpreted in the light of the recent theoretical work of Bragaw, who considered the importance of the distances between domain boundaries with respect to crack acceleration mechanics. Although the IPN's considered herein exhibited somewhat less than the predicted optimum phase dimensions, the arrangement of the domains is different from ordinary impact resistant plastics.

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