| Abstract: | We have synthesized and characterized the graft copolymer of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-graft-polycarbonate urethane (PCU) (designated PMMA-g-PCU) and the fully gelled mutually crosslinked network composed of both PMMA and PCU (designated as PMMA-PCU-N). Unlike the previously synthesized one phase PCU/PMMA simultaneous interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN's), both of these new materials exhibited two distinct Tg's (from DSC and DMA studies) at all compositions which we have studied. The two-phase nature of the graft and network polymer was confirmed by TEM with domain sizes smaller than those found in the blends of the linear PCU and PMMA chains. In comparison with the corresponding IPN's, the PMMA-g-PCU and the PMMA-PCU-N were thermally less stable and had a lower ultimate strength. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
