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

该奖项将支持明尼苏达大学化学工程与材料科学系Chris Macosko教授对日本进行为期12个月的长期访问，与有机与高分子材料系Takashi Inoue教授和高分子化学系Seiichi Nakahama教授进行合作研究项目。东京工业大学。研究人员计划通过链端反应对不混溶聚合物的熔体偶联进行研究。聚合物共混物是塑料市场中增长最快的领域。研究人员将在熔融共混过程中通过反应偶联链形成双嵌段共聚物。聚苯乙烯和聚（e-乙烯基吡啶）将阴离子合成，然后用官能团端接。将研究两种反应对：环酸酐与胺和环氧树脂与羧酸。然后，他们会直接在活性阴离子链的末端添加一个胺，然后将这种方法扩展到其他基团上。在此过程之后，将进行粒径排除色谱，作为混合强度，时间和温度的函数，以及官能团的类型和附着的聚合物链的大小。界面厚度将由自动椭偏仪测量。熔体混合过程中的形态发展将伴随着时间分辨光散射。电子显微镜将用于淬火样品。用偶联反应和不用偶联反应制备的样品以及用预制双块制备的样品将进行比较。研究结果将有助于开发新的策略来创建和控制非混相聚合物共混物的形态。井上教授的强项是聚合物物理领域，特别是光散射、形态学和热力学。他还在非混相聚合物共混物的机械性能方面做了出色的工作。Macosko教授的专长在于流变学，工艺流程和中子散射方法领域。预期这项研究项目将提供富有成效的合作。由于每位研究人员都有很强的工业联系，因此预计该项目将有工业界的参与。

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.