Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Morphology control of PS-b-PB-b-PMMA/PMMA blends by silica nanoparticles

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Polymer Bulletin Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The effect of the silica nanoparticles on the morphology of a blend consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the poly(styrene)-b-poly(butadiene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (SBM) triblock copolymer was studied. Upon blending PMMA with SBM, macrophase separation between the block copolymer and homopolymer occurred, in which the higher molar mass chains of homopolymer separate into homopolymer-rich domains due to the ‘dry-brush’ regime, whereas the lower molar mass chains of homopolymer tend to be selectively solubilized in the block copolymer-rich domains due to the ‘wet-brush’ regime. Upon adding the hydrophilic silica nanoparticles to the PMMA/SBM blend, a significant suppression effect on the extent of macrophase separation between the homopolymer and block copolymer can be observed. It was shown that the silica particles are preferentially localized in the PMMA phase due to the strong hydrogen bonding interaction between the hydroxyl groups on the surface of silica nanoparticles with the carbonyl groups of the PMMA. The suppression effect of the silica particles may be related to the selective adsorption of the high molar mass PMMA on the surface of the silica particles, which may force the system into the ‘wet-brush’ regime, but this was only observed for the systems with a low silica content. For the systems with a high silica content, both the homopolymer PMMA and the PMMA block of the SBM block copolymer interact with the silica surface, which becomes the connecting part between both polymers, thereby suppressing the extent of macrophase separation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bucknall CB (1977) Toughened plastics. Appl. Sci. Publishers Ltd., London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Meijer HEH, Govaert LE (2005) Mechanical performance of polymer systems: the relation between structure and properties. Progress Pol Sci 30:915–938

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Jansen BJP, Rastogi S, Meijer HEH, Lemstra PJ (1999) Rubber-modified glassy amorphous polymers prepared via chemically induced phase separation. 3. Influence of the strain rate on the microscopic deformation mechanism. Macromolecules 32:6283–6289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Jansen BJP, Rastogi S, Meijer HEH, Lemstra PJ (2001) Rubber-modified glassy amorphous polymers prepared via chemically induced phase separation. 1. Morphology development and mechanical properties. Macromolecules 34:3998–4006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jansen BJP, Rastogi S, Meijer HEH, Lemstra PJ (2001) Rubber-modified glassy amorphous polymers prepared via chemically induced phase separation. 2. Mode of microscopic deformation studied by in situ small-angle X-ray scattering during tensile deformation. Macromolecules 34:4007–4018

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Van Casteren IA, Van Trier RAM, Goossens JGP, Meijer HEH, Lemstra PJ (2004) The influence of hydrogen bonding on the preparation and mechanical properties of PS-diblock copolymer blends. J Polym Sci Part B Polym Phys 42:2137–2160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Van Asselen OLJ, Van Casteren IA, Goossens JGP, Meijer HEH (2004) Deformation behavior of triblock copolymers based on polystyrene: an FT-IR spectroscopy study. Macromol Symp 205:85–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Thomas EL (1999) The ABCs of self-assembly. Science 286:1307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hardy CM, Bates FS, Kim MH, Wignall GD (2002) Model ABC triblock copolymers and blends near the order–disorder transition. Macromolecules 35:3189–3197

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ritzenthaler S, Court F, David L, Girard-Reydet E, Leibler L, Pascault JP (2002) ABC triblock copolymers/epoxy–diamine blends. 1. Keys to achieve nanostructured thermosets. Macromolecules 35:6245–6254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Brinkmann S, Stadler R, Thomas EL (1998) New structural motif in hexagonally ordered cylindrical ternary (ABC) block copolymer microdomains. Macromolecules 31:6566–6572

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Krappe U, Stadler R, Voigt-Martin I (1995) Chiral assembly in amorphous ABC triblock copolymers. formation of a helical morphology in polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) Block copolymers. Macromolecules 28:4558–4561

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hydro RM, Pearson RA (2007) Epoxies toughened with triblock copolymers. J Polym Sci Part B Polym Phys 45:1470–1481

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Fine T, Pascault J-P (2006) Structured thermoplastic/thermoset blends using block copolymers. Macromol Symp 245:375–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Fenouillot F, Cassagnau P, Majeste JC (2009) Uneven distribution of nanoparticles in immiscible fluids: morphology development in polymer blends. Polymer 50:1333–1350

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Li W, l’Abee RMA, Goossens JGP (2013) The control of silica nanoparticles on the phase separation of poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) blends. Macromol Chem Phys 214:2705–2715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kim BJ, Chiu JJ, Yi GR, Pine DJ, Kramer EJ (2005) Nanoparticle-induced phase transitions in diblock-copolymer films. Adv Mater 17:2618–2622

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kim BJ, Fredrickson GH, Hawker CJ, Kramer EJ (2007) Nanoparticle surfactants as a route to bicontinuous block copolymer morphologies. Langmuir 23:7804–7809

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kim BJ, Fredrickson GH, Bang J, Hawker CJ, Kramer EJ (2009) Tailoring Core–shell polymer-coated nanoparticles as block copolymer surfactants. Macromolecules 42:6193–6201

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Balazs AC, Emrick T, Russell TP (2006) Nanoparticle polymer composites: where two small worlds meet. Science 314:1107–1110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thompson R, Ginzburg V, Matsen M, Balazs AC (2001) Predicting the mesophases of copolymer-nanoparticle composites. Science 292:2469–2472

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Lee JY, Thompson R, Jasnow D, Balazs AC (2002) Entropically driven formation of hierarchically ordered nanocomposites. Phys Rev Lett 89:155503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Kim JU, O’Shaughnessy B (2006) Nanoinclusions in dry polymer brushes. Macromolecules 39:413–425

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. L’Abee R, Li W, Goossens H, Van Duin M (2008) Application of FTIR microscopy in combinatorial experimentation on polymer blends. Macromol Symp 265:281–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Huang Y, Jiang S, Li G, Chen D (2005) Effect of fillers on the phase stability of binary polymer blends: a dynamic shear rheology study. Acta Mater 53:5117–5124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is supported under project 07057 by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW, which is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. And the authors wish to thank Shanghai Young Teachers’ Training-funded Projects (ZZGJD13018); start-up project funding (Grant 0501-13-018).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, 201620, China

    W. Li

  2. Laboratory of Polymer Technology, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    W. Li & Johannes G. P. Goossens

Authors
  1. W. Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Johannes G. P. Goossens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Li, W., Goossens, J.G.P. Morphology control of PS-b-PB-b-PMMA/PMMA blends by silica nanoparticles. Polym. Bull. 72, 1025–1037 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-015-1320-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-015-1320-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation