| Abstract: | Poly(ethylene oxide)-grafted butyl rubbers (IIR-g-PEOs), which were synthesized from potassium salt of polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (PEGM) and chlorinated butyl rubber, were found to behave like thermoplastic elastomers. The poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) content of these amphiphilic polymers was ca. 10 wt %, and their PEO lengths were 750, 2000, and 5000, respectively. The grafted segments of PEO in butyl rubber (IIR) aggregated to form the PEO domains in IIR matrix. At constant PEO content, the longer the PEO segment length, the larger the size and the crystallinity of PEO domains became. This PEO domain worked as a cross-linking site and a reinforcing filler. The degree of swelling in water of IIR-g-PEO film that was prepared from PEGM-5000 was largest, but its emulsification ability was smallest among them. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
