Thermal Analysis of Butadiene Styrene Block Copolymers
Abstract The Gordon—Taylor—Wood relationship between composition and glass temperature has been used as the basis of a DTA method for block styrene analysis in butadiene styrene copolymers having the same microstructure and a similar compositional distribution. The determined K value of the Gordon—Taylor—Wood equation for these polymers prepared with a butyllithium catalyst is in fair agreement with values previously determined for emulsion butadiene styrene copolymers. The total styrene content of the copolymer was determined using the refractive index method, and the composition of the “non-block” segment of the copolymer was obtained from DTA measurement using a Tg as a function of composition graph The amount of block styrene can then be obtained by difference. Evidence is presented supporting the validity of the method, and the results are compared with those obtained by a chemical method which involved polymer degradation by a hydroperoxide in the presence of osmium tetroxide. The thermal analysis requires approximately one-half hour. All measurements are made on the dry polymer eliminating the necessity of redissolving the polymer as required by most other methods of analysis.