Japan Long-Term Research Visit: Melt Coupling of ImmisciblePolymers by Chain End Reactions

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This award will support a twelve month long-term visit by Professor Chris Macosko, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, to Japan for a cooperative research project with Professor Takashi Inoue, Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials and Professor Seiichi Nakahama, Department of Polymer Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology. The researchers plan to undertake a study of melt coupling of immiscible polymers by chain end reactions. Polymer blends are the fastest growing area of the plastics market. The researchers will form diblock coploymers by reactively coupling chains during melt blending. Polystyrene and poly(e-vinyl-pyridine) will be synthesized anionically and then terminated with functional groups. Two reactive pairs will be studied: cyclic anhydride with amine and epoxy with carboxylic acid. They will then directly add an amine to the end of a living anionic chain and then extend this approach to the other groups. This process will be followed by size exclusion chromatography as a function of mixing intensity, time and temperature, as well as the type of functional group and size of the attached polymer chain. The interfacial thickness will be measured by an automated ellipsometer. Morphology development during melt mixing will be followed by time resolved light scattering. Electron microscopy will be used on quenched samples. Samples prepared with and without coupling reaction and with premade diblocks will then be compared. Results of the research should contribute to development of new strategies for creating and controlling the morphology of immiscible polymer blends. Professor Inoue's strengths are in the area of polymer physics particularly light scattering, morphology and thermodynamics. He has also done excellent work on mechanical properties of immiscible polymer blends. Professor Macosko's expertise lies in the areas of rheology, process flows and neutron scattering methods. It is expected that this research project should provide a fruitful collaboration. It is also expected that there will be industry participation in this project since each of the researchers have strong industrial contacts.