Studies on thermotropic main chain liquid crystalline segmented polyurethanes I. Synthesis and properties of polyurethanes from high aspect ratio mesogenic diol as chain extender

Thermotropic main chain liquid crystalline polyurethanes were prepared from 4-{[4-(6-hydroxyhexyloxy)phenylimino]methyl}benzoic acid 4-{[4-(6-hydroxyhexyloxy)phenylimino]methyl}phenyl ester (mesogenic diol) and 1,6-hexamethylene di-isocyanate. The effects of partial replacement of the mesogenic diol by 20-50 mol% of poly(tetramethylene oxide)glycol (PTMG) of varying molecular mass (M _n =650, 1000, 2000) on the liquid crystalline properties were studied. Structural characterization was carried out by FTIR spectroscopy and the molecular mass distribution was determined by GPC. Differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage polarizing optical microscopy were used to study the mesomorphic properties. It was observed that the partial replacement of the mesogenic diol by PTMG of varying molecular masses influenced the phase transitions and the occurrence of mesophase textures. When the molecular mass of PTMG was enhanced, a higher content of mesogenic agent was needed to obtain liquid crystalline properties.     

Liquid crystalline properties of unsegmented and segmented polyurethanes synthesised from high aspect ratio mesogenic diols

A series of novel tetrad high aspect ratio mesogenic diol monomers 4-{[4-(n-hydroxyalkoxy)-phenylimino]-methyl}-benzoic acid 4-{[4-(n-hydroxyalkoxy)-phenylimino]-methyl}-phenyl ester were prepared with varying alkoxy spacer length (n=2,4,6,8,10) by reacting 4-formylbenzoic acid 4-formylphenyl ester and 4-(n-hydroxyalkoxy) anilines. Two series of thermotropic main chain liquid crystalline unsegmented polyurethanes (PUs) were obtained by the polyaddition of the mesogenic diols with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) and methylene bis(cyclohexylisocyanate) (H₁₂MDI) in dimethylformamide respectively. The effect of the incorporation of a third component namely polyol on the liquid crystalline properties of the polyurethanes was also studied. Linear segmented PUs were synthesised by a two-step block copolymerisation method. The PUs synthesised were based on six spacer mesogenic diol chain extender, soft segments poly(tetramethylene oxide)glycol (PTMG) (M_n= 650,1000,2000) and polycaprolactone diol (PCL) (M_n=530,1250,2000) of varying molecular weights and different diisocyanates including HMDI, H₁₂MDI and methylene bis(phenylene isocyanate) (MDI). Structural elucidation was carried out by elemental analysis, fourier transform infra red (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR) spectroscopy. Inherent viscosity of the unsegmented polymers measured in methanesulphonic acid at 26°C was in the range of 0.13 - 0.65 dL/g while the molecular weights and molecular weight distribution of the segmented polyruethanes was determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Mesomorphic properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot stage polarising optical microscopy and the thermal stability was determined by thermogravimetric(TG)analysis. The monomeric diols and the polyurethanes exhibited nematic texture and good mesophase stability. It was observed that the partial replacement of the mesogenic diol by the polyol of varying molecular weights influenced the phase transitions and the occurrence of mesophase textures. The phase transition temperatures of the investigated polyurethanes showed dependence on the chain length of the soft segment and on the content of the mesogen moiety. A higher content of mesogenic moiety was needed to obtain liquid crystalline property when the soft segment length was increased as observed in the case of PTMG. Grained and threaded textures were observed depending on the molecular weight of the soft segment, the mesogen content and the diisocyanate. The stress-strain analyses showed that the polymers bused on high molecular weight PTMG soft segment have elastomeric property while the PCL based PUs displayed no elastomeric property.     

Characterization of polyurethane network chains by gel permeation chromatography

Starting materials, prepolymers, chain-extended oligomers, and polyurethane network chains were characterized by gel permeation chromatography in order to make clear the change of molecular distribution in the formation of polyurethane networks. The polyurethane networks were prepared from poly(oxypropylene)glycol (PPG 1000, M _n = 997, M _w/M _n = 1.04), 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, and 1,4-butanediol by the prepolymer method. Polyurethane networks were degraded by the amine degradation method, by which allophanate groups as crosslinking sites were decomposed selectively. The prepolymer had four species. The polydispersity index of the prepolymer (M _w/M _n) was about 2, that is, the most probable distribution. The product of the chain-extending reaction of prepolymer with BD had five species. The molecular-weight distribution of this product was narrower than that of the prepolymer. The polydispersity of the interstitial chains between crosslinking sites was also narrower than that of the chain-extended product. The polyaddition mechanism in the formation of PPG–TDI–BD polyurethane networks was discussed.     

Studies of self-diffusion of poly(dimethylsiloxane) chains in PDMS model networks by pulsed field gradient NMR

We have measured the diffusion of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) chains in PDMS model networks by using a pulsed field gradient NMR technique. The model networks have been prepared by tetrafunctional endliking of linear PDMS chains having molecular weights M_n of 3,700 and 7,400 g mol^?1. The diffusants have been incorporated in the networks by immersing pieces of them in PDMS linear chains with molecular weights M_n between 3,000 and 12,000 g mol^?1 and molecular weight distributions M_w/M_n between 1.1 and 1.7. Although spin-echo attenuation results were fitted to a model which takes into account polydispersity of the diffusant, these results did not exhibit any dependency upon the molecular weight distribution. The self-diffusion coefficients of PDMS chains in the PDMS model networks were found to be smaller than in the melt, and the exponents for the diffusion coefficient dependence on M_n in the networks were found to be about-1.3. Free diffusion will give an exponent equal to-1, whereas free volume contributions or behavior intermediate between free and entangled diffusion will increase the magnitude of the exponent.     

Rheological study on structural transition in polyethersulfone‐modified bismaleimide resin during isothermal curing

The structural transition in the polyethersulfone (PES)‐modified bismaleimide resin, 4,4′‐bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BDM), during isothermal curing was studied by using rheological technique, different scanning calorimetry (DSC), and time resolved light scattering (TRLS). Comparing with the cure of neat bismaleimide, two separate tan δ crossover points were observed because of the phase separation during curing the blends of PES/BDM. These two structural transitions stemmed from the fixing of phase structure of the system and the chemical crosslinking of bismaleimide, respectively. The effect of curing temperature and the PES content on structural transition was discussed and found that the occurrence of two structural transition exhibited the different dependency of curing temperature and PES content. The relaxation exponent n and gel strength S were also found to be temperature‐dependent and composition‐dependent. Moreover, the relaxation exponent n of the second structural transition is much lower than that of the first structural transition in the PES/bismaleimide blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3102–3108, 2006     

Acid-Base Interactions of Pyrazine,Ethyl Acetate,Di-alcohols,and Lysine with the cyclic Alumosiloxane (Ph2SiO)8[Al(O)OH]4 in View of Mimicking Al2O3(H2O) Surface Reactions

The etherate of (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ can be transformed into the pyrazine adduct (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ · 3N(C₂H₂)₂N ( 1 ), the ethyl acetate adduct (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ · 3H₃C-C(O)OC₂H₅ ( 2 ), the 1,6-hexane diol adduct (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ · 2HO–CH₂(CH₂)₄CH₂–OH ( 3 ) and the 1,4-cyclohexane diol adduct (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ · 4HO–CH(CH₂CH₂)₂CH–OH ( 4 ). In all compounds the OH groups of the starting material bind to the bases through O–H ··· N ( 1 ) or O–H ··· O hydrogen bonds ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) as found from single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Whereas in 1 only three of the central OH groups bind to the pyrazines, in 2 two of them bind to the same carbonyl oxygen atom of the ethyl acetate resulting in an unprecedented O–H ··· O ··· H–O double hydrogen bridge. The hexane diol adduct 3 in the crystal forms a one-dimensional coordination polymer with an intramolecularly to two OH groups grafted hexane diol loop, while the second hexane diol is connecting intermolecularly. In the cyclohexane diol adduct 4 all OH groups of the central Al₄(OH)₄ ring bind to different diols, leaving one alcohol group per diol uncoordinated. These “free” OH groups form an (O-H ··· )₄ assembly creating a three-dimensional overall structure. When reacting with (Ph₂SiO)₈[Al(O)OH]₄ lysine loses water, turns into the cyclic 3-amino-2-azepanone, and transforms through chelation of one of the aluminum atoms the starting material into a new polycycle. The isolated compound has the composition (Ph₂SiO)₁₂[Al(O)OH]₄[Al₂O₃]₂ · 4 C₆H₁₂N₂O · 6(CH₂)₄O ( 5 ).     

A new structural type of liquid crystal Crystal structures and thermotropic mesophases of dihydroxytetraalkyldisiloxanes: Columnar phases with hydrogen bonded assemblies

Abstract

Previous structural investigations of mesogenic organosilicon compounds (1, 3-dihydroxytetraalkyldisiloxanes, [R₂(OH)Si]₂O, R = C _n H_2n+1) which form thermotropic phases are outlined. The crystal and molecular structure determination of a non-mesogenic member of this series [Me₂(OH)Si]₂O is described. It is inferred that the mesophases formed by this family of compounds belong to a new structural type with columnar stacks of the molecules laced together with hydrogen bonds.     

A semi‐synthetic analog of the cembranoid sarcophine

The title mol­ecule, 2(R)‐[(1E,3E,7S,8S,11E,13R)‐13‐hydroxy‐4,8,12‐tri­methyl‐7,8‐epoxy­cyclo­tetradeca‐1,3,11‐trien‐1‐yl]­propane‐1,2‐diol, C₂₀H₃₂O₄, is a semi‐synthetic analog of sarcophine, the natural cembranoid of marine origin, isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum. The conformation of the 14‐membered ring differs substantially from that of sarcophine. The two OH groups of the propane‐1,2‐diol moiety form an unusual weak intramolecular hydrogen bond with an O⋯O distance of 2.788 (2) Å, and the mol­ecules are linked into double chains by intermolecular hydrogen bonds with O⋯O distances of 2.772 (2) and 2.849 (2) Å.     

Chiral cyanide-bridged 1D Fe~Ⅲ-Mn~Ⅲ heterobimetallic chains: Synthesis, structures and magnetic properties

Two couples of enantiomerically pure chiral cyano-bridged heterobimetallic one-dimensional (1D) chain complexes: [Mn((R,R)-Salphen)Fe(Tp)(CN)3]n (1) and [Mn((S,S)-Salphen)Te(Tp)(CN)3]n (2) (Salphen = N,N’-1,2-diphenylethylenebis (salicylideneiminato) dianion, Tp = tris(pyrazolyl) hydroborate), [Mn((R,R)-Salphen)Fe(Tp*)(CN)3·2H2O]n (3) and [Mn((S,S)-Salphen)Fe(Tp*)(CN)3·2H2O]n (4) (Tp* = hydridotris (3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl) borate), have been successfully synthesized by the reactions of MnIII schiff-base complexes with the tricyanometalate building block, [(LTp)Fe(CN)3]- (LTp = Tp or Tp*). All complexes are made up of neutral cyano-bridged zigzag double chains with (-Fe-C≡N-Mn-N≡C-)n as the repeating unit. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra confirm the enantiomeric nature of the optically active complexes. Magnetic studies demonstrate that ferromagnetic interactions are operative in these complexes. The ferromagnetic couplings become weak in the chains with the bending of the Mn-N≡C angles.     

Cu(II) coordination polymers incorporating 3-aminopyridine and flexible aliphatic dicarboxylate ligands: Synthesis,structure and magnetic properties

The synthesis, structural chemistry and magnetic properties of a series of new Cu(II) polymers with α,ω-dicarboxylic acids (sebacic (H₂seb), suberic (H₂sub), succinic (H₂suc) and adipic (H₂adip)) and 3-aminopyridine (3-apy) are described: [Cu(Hsub)₂(3-apy)₂·2CH₃OH]_n (1); [Cu(Hseb)₂(3-apy)₂·4CH₃OH]_n (2); [Cu(Hsuc)₂(3-apy)₂]_n (3); [Cu(adip)(3-apy)₂]_n·n(H₂adip) (4). All four compounds feature a bis-monodentate bridging mode of the coordinated dicarboxylate moiety. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit linear chains, whereas compound 3 shows two-dimensional structure. The 3-apy ligand acts as terminal ligand in 1–3. Compound 4 contains a doubly deprotonated adipate (adip²⁻) that connects Cu centers into linear chains. Additionally, 3-apy acts as a bridge in 4, resulting in the formation of parallel two-dimensional layers distant enough to host neutral molecules of adipic acid. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of compounds 1 and 3 show Curie law behavior indicating that the S = 1/2 Cu(II) spin carriers are magnetically well isolated by the dicarboxylate ligands.     

Concentration dependence of critical exponents for gelation in gellan gum aqueous solutions upon cooling

The sol-gel transition in aqueous gellan gum solutions induced upon cooling was investigated by rheology measurements. The gelation temperature was determined from the crossover point of storage and loss moduli, i.e., G′ = G′′ (T_c) and from the Winter’s criterion (T_gel), respectively, which increased with gellan concentration. T_gel was higher than T_c and the difference became larger as the gellan concentration got higher. The relaxation critical exponent n was estimated with the Winter’s method and the self-similarity was observed from the critical gel. The scaling for the zero-shear viscosity η₀ before the gel point and the equilibrium modulus G_e after the gel point was established against the relative distance ε from the gel point over the gellan concentration C_g of 1.0-2.5 wt%, giving the critical exponents k and z. The critical exponent n calculated from k and z agrees well with n from the Winter’s criterion. However, no universal n was found for the gelation in aqueous gellan gum solutions, indicating that this gelation should be classified into the cross-linking category for the physical gelation. The critical exponent n decreased with increasing C_g for the gellan gum solution. The fractal dimension d_f calculated from n with the screened hydrodynamic interaction and the excluded volume effect suggested a denser structure in the critical gel with higher C_g.     

Influence of the host on vibronic relaxation: a study of free-base porphin in a series of n-alkanes by photochemical hole-burning

Photochemical hole-burning is used to determine the relaxation times of vibronic bands of the S₁ ← S₀ transition to free-base porphin in different substitutional sites of n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane and n-decane at 1.6 K. The vibronic relaxation depends strongly on site and host. A correlation between the n-alkane chain length and the vibronic relaxation time is observed.     

Effect of rotational relaxation on the intensity and polarization of fluorescence emission caused by sequential two-photo excitation

General formulas are derived for the intensity and the degree of polarization of the S_m-fluorescence emission (m ? 2) of a sample excited by the sequential two-photon excitation process (S_n ← S₁ ← S₀, n ? 2) with plane-polarized pulsed light. They show how the S_m-fluorescence intensity and anisotropy depend on the relative orientation of the relevant transition dipoles within a molecule and on the degree of rotational relaxation of molecules in the intermediate state (S₁) and in the S_m state (for the case m = n), or in the S_n → S_m process (m ≠ n).     

Concept of hard clusters in the interpretation of thermal and mechanical properties of polyurethane and polyurethane acrylate networks

Polyurethane (PU) and polyurethane acrylate (PUA) networks based on hydroxyl-terminated polycaprolactone (PCL), 1,3-bis-2,2′(2-isocyanatopropyl)benzene (m-TMXDI), trimethylolpropane (TMP) for PU or hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) for PUA were synthesized. Glass transition temperature, T_g, dynamic mechanical relaxation, α, and equilibrium tensile modulus, E′, were measured to compare the two kinds of networks. To explain thermal and mechanical properties of networks, the concept of hard clusters has been introduced. PU networks exhibit a single-phase structure with modulus and T_g dependent on the concentration of elastically active network chains (EANC) per unit volume calculated by considering hard crosslink clusters. The rigidity of the clusters comes from small diisocyanate and trimethylolpropane units connected by urethane bonds. They are embedded in a continuous soft phase of macrodiol urethane. Physical equivalence between several kinds of network models has been demonstrated for full conversion of isocyanate-alcohol reaction. PUA networks exhibit thermodynamically one-phase structures that become a two-phase structure for high molar mass of macrodiol when the molar fraction of isocyanate groups increases. For those networks, the calculated modulus considering clusters based on polyacrylate chains seems to be a good way to approach the experimental value of the equilibrium modulus. For the same molar ratio of OH to NCO groups the range of dynamic moduli is larger for PUA than for PU. This difference can be explained by a different concentration of crosslinks in the networks. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of segmented main‐chain liquid‐crystalline polyurethanes with a high aspect ratio mesogenic diol as a chain extender

Main‐chain liquid‐crystalline polyurethanes were synthesized based on a high aspect ratio mesogenic diol (4‐{[4‐(6‐hydroxyhexyloxy)‐phenylimino]‐methyl}‐benzoic acid 4‐{[4‐(6‐hydroxyhexyloxy)‐phenylimino]‐methyl}‐phenyl ester) as a chain extender; polycaprolactone (PCL) diol soft segments of different number‐average molecular weights (530, 1250, or 2000); and different diisocyanates, including 1,4‐hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI), 4,4′‐methylene bis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) (H₁₂MDI), and 4,4′‐methylene bis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI). The structure of the polymers was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing microscopy measurements were carried out to examine the liquid‐crystalline and thermal properties of the polyurethanes, respectively. The mesogenic diol was partially replaced with 20–50 mol % PCL. A 20 mol % mesogen content was sufficient to impart a liquid crystalline property to all the polymers. The partial replacement of the mesogenic diol with PCL of various molecular weights, as well as the various diisocyanates, influenced the phase transitions and the occurrence of mesophase textures. Characteristic liquid‐crystalline textures were observed when a sufficient content of the mesogenic diol was present. Depending on the flexible spacer length and the mesogenic content, grained and threadlike textures were obtained for the HMDI and H₁₂MDI series polymers, whereas the polyurethanes prepared from MDI showed only grained textures for all the compositions. The polymers formed brittle films and could not be subjected to tensile tests. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1527–1538, 2002     

The synthesis,characterization and melting properties of thiophene-containing dithiocarboxylate complexes of nickel(II)

The reactions of a series of 5-alkyl-2-thiophenedithiocarboxylates with nickel(II) chloride afforded two types of complexes, blue nickel(II) complexes with two terminal dithiocarboxylate ligands, [Ni(S₂CTR)₂] and violet nickel(II) complexes with perthio- and dithiocarboxylate ligands, [Ni(S₂CTR)(S₃CTR)] (where T = 2,5-disubstituted thiophene, R = C_nH_2n+1, n = 4, 6, 8, 12, 16). The blue monomers are preferred for the shorter chains (C₄ and C₆) and the violet compounds form exclusively for the longer chains (C₈, C₁₂, and C₁₆) in the alkylthiophene complexes. In addition to the above series, [Ni(S₂CTCH₃)₂], was prepared in a one-pot reaction in THF and both the blue and violet products were isolated. It was possible to convert the blue complexes [Ni(S₂CTR)₂] (R = butyl, hexyl) into the corresponding violet complexes [Ni(S₂CTR)(S₃CTR)] after stirring in THF solutions for prolonged periods of time. Liquid-crystalline properties of these complexes were examined by DSC and POM. The violet complexes with C₈ and C₁₂ alkyl chains showed liquid-crystalline properties.     

Synthesis and conformational study of homo-peptides based on (S)-Bin,a C2-symmetric binaphthyl-derived Cα,α-disubstituted glycine with only axial chirality

We synthesised the [(S)-Bin]_n (n=2–5) homo-peptides by solution methods. Only the acid fluoride derivative Fmoc-(S)-Bin-F could be efficiently coupled with H-[(S)-Bin]_n-OMe (n=2–4). Spectroscopic experimental analyses of the [(S)-Bin]_n homo-peptides in solution performed by CD, FT-IR absorption, and VCD, supported by VCD calculations, confirmed the (S) configuration of the Bin residues and identified the most largely populated secondary structures as right-handed β-turns which eventually evolve to 3₁₀-helices in the highest oligomers.     

Influence of alkoxy tail length and unbalanced mesogenic core on phase behavior of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers

When the flexible terminal substituent changes from butoxy to hexyloxy or longer, smectic C (S_C) liquid crystalline phase was firstly reported to develop from a kind of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (MJLCP) whose mesogenic side groups are unbalancedly bonded to the main chain without spacers. A series of MJLCPs, poly[4,4′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenyl)‐2‐vinylbiphenyl(carboxide)] (nC2Vp, n is the number of the carbons in the alkoxy groups, n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) were designed and synthesized successfully via free radical polymerization. The molecular weights of the polymers were characterized with gel permeation chromatography, and the liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy experiments, and 1D, 2D wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Comparing with the butoxy analog, the polymer with unbalanced mesogenic core and shorter flexible substituents (n = 2, 4) keeps the same smectic A (S_A) phase, but other polymers with longer terminal flexible substituents (n = 6, 8, 10, and 12) can develop into a well‐defined S_C phase instead of S_A phase. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 505–514, 2009     

Functionalization of surface‐grafted polymethylhydrosiloxane thin films with alkyl side chains

Thin films of crosslinked polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) have been grafted on silica using the sol–gel process allowing further functionalization by effective quantitative hydrosilylation of SiH groups by olefins within the network. Postfunctionalization gives the polysiloxane network with n‐alkyl side chains. The PMHS coating was prepared by room temperature polycondensation of a mixture of methyldiethoxysilane HSiMe(OEt)₂ monomer and triethoxysilane HSi(OEt)₃ (TH) as crosslinker. The surface‐attached films are chemically stable and covalently bonded to the silica surface. Subsequently, films were functionalized without delamination. We showed by FTIR spectroscopy how the crosslinking ratio and the molecular size of the alkenes precursors influence the extent of the hydrosilylation reaction of SiH groups in the PMHS network. We have determined that quasi‐full olefin addition catalyzed by a platinum complex occurred within soft networks of less than 5% TH with 1‐alkenes CH₂?CH(CH₂)_n‐2CH₃ of various alkyl chain lengths (n = 5, 11, 17). Powders of PMHS gel were also modified with 1‐alkenes by hydrosilylation. The SiH groups within the soft gel (5% crosslinked) were fully functionalized as shown by ²⁹Si and ¹H solid‐state NMR. The structure of functionalized polysiloxane with n‐octadecyl and n‐dodecyl side chains was studied by FTIR, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, and DSC showing crystallization of the long n‐alkyl chains in the network. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3546–3562, 2008     

Linear thermoviscoelasticity and characterization of noncrystalline EPDM rubber networks

An experimental study has been made to specify how the time-temperature superposition and the linear viscoelastic characteristics vary with the degree of crosslinking for a broad class of noncrystalline peroxide-cured EPDM networks. A new, very sensitive method is applied to determine the horizontal and vertical shift functions in an independent way. All uncrosslinked samples are thermoelasticoviscously simple with horizontal shift functions a_T of the WLF type and vertical shift functions almost independent of temperature, in agreement with recent theoretical understanding. Upon crosslinking, these materials become thermoviscoelastically complex networks, but superposition can still be accomplished by assuming different temperature dependences for the relaxational strength and the equilibrium modulus. The a_T functions can be taken independent of the degree of crosslinking. The vertical shift functions b_T for the relaxational strength vary with the degree of crosslinking between theoretical predictions for uncrosslinked and perfectly crosslinked EPDM networks. The equilibrium moduli of the lightly cured networks decreases with increasing temperature, which is ascribed to the presence of interchain associations between ethylene sequences in the trans state. Upon further crosslinking, these effects gradually vanish and eventually the networks can be described as viscoelastically simple with an energy elastic contribution due to the ethylene trans-gauche transitions. The linear viscoelastic characteristics, namely the storage and loss moduli and compliances and phase-angle master curves and the relaxation and retardation spectra are discussed as a function of the degree of crosslinking. A sol/gel analysis and equilibrium swelling measurements complete the experimental characterization of three familes of five EPDM networks each.