Enhancement of the high‐temperature utility of a polystyrene‐b‐poly(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐polystyrene block copolymer by friedel–crafts naphthoylation

Abstract

A procedure was developed for the FriedelCrafts naphthoylation of the polystyrene segments of a polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butene)-b-polystyrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer. It was possible to obtain up to 72% 1-naphthoylation or 100% 2-naphthoylation of the polystyrene segments in the copolymer. Naphthoylation could also be accomplished using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid as a catalyst. The naphthoylated products were characterized by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The mechanical properties of the original and naphthoylated polymers were measured from 25 to 125°C. The results obtained indicate that naphthoylation enhances the tensile properties of the polymers at elevated temperatures.

Systematic Modification of the Glass Transition Temperature of Ion-Pair Comonomer Based Polyelectrolytes and Ionomers by Copolymerization with a Chemically Similar Cationic Monomer

“…As will be shown, this copolymerization strategy is highly effective for tuning the T g in both the polyelectrolyte and the ion-rich domains of the ionomers where the T g monotonically varies with the relative fractions of IPC and cationic monomer. Given the ease of synthesis of the IPC and its copolymerization with other monomers this formulation approach should be useful in the design of other advanced polymers including shape memory polymers, as previously mentioned, and other applications, such as high service temperature thermoplastic elastomers [ 41 , 42 ], where the T g and processability may be tuned through the monomer formulation.…”

Functionalization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes with Poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) by Click Coupling

“…23,24 For obtaining functionalized SEBS, chemical modification of a polystyrene (PS) block in SEBS block copolymers has been employed, including sulfonation, 25 phosphonation, 26,27 benzoyla-tion, 28 and naphthylation. 29 When CNTs are used for functionalization of SEBS, the high reactivity of the phenyl ring of the PS block can also be exploited. Various strategies for covalent attachment of a polymer chain to CNTs have been suggested.…”