Fully crosslinked poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) microspheres by precipitation polymerization and their superior thermal properties

Fully crosslinked, stable poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) microspheres, which are composed of various concentrations of divilylbenzene from 5 to 75 mol % based on styrene monomer, were prepared without a significant particle coagulation by the precipitation polymerization. The number‐average particle diameter ranged from 3.5 to 2.8 μm and decreased with an increasing concentration of divinylbenzene in monomer. In addition, the coefficient of variation of the microspheres was slightly reduced with the increasing concentration of divinylbenzene. The circularity and the measured specific surface area indicated that lesser particles are coagulated because of the improved stability of individual particles at a high divinylbenzene concentration and that the resulting particles have a smooth surface without micropores. The glass‐transition temperature was not observed for all microspheres formed from the range of divinylbenzene concentrations. In addition, the onset of the thermal‐degradation temperature was increased from 339.8 to 376.9 °C upon higher contents of divinylbenzene. On the basis of the DSC and thermogravimetric data, the polymer microspheres prepared by the precipitation polymerization possessed a fully crosslinked structure and highly enhanced thermal stability. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 835–845, 2004     

Synthesis and properties of room temperature curable trimethoxysilane‐terminated polyurethane and their dispersions

The purpose of this research is to study the synthesis and characterization of stable aqueous dispersions of externally chain extended polyurethane/urea compositions terminated by hydrolyzable or hydrolyzed trialkoxysilane groups incorporated through secondary amino groups. These dispersions with excellent storage stability are substantially free from organic solvents which cure to water and solvent resistant, tough, scratch resistant, preferably light stable (non‐yellowing) silylated polyurethane (SPU) films. The films were characterized by FT‐IR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile strength and water contact angle measurements, nanoindentation, gel content, water and xylene swellability tests. The properties of the films were discussed and correlated in detail by changing length of soft segment, diisocyanates, NCO/OH ratio and chain extender, ethylenediamine (EDA). From the results, it was found that the particle size and viscosity are lower whereas the gel content and thermal stability are higher for SPUs. Modulus, hardness and tensile properties of SPU films are superior compared to EDA‐PU film. Higher water contact angle and residual weight percentage of SPU films confirm silylation of PU by [3‐(phenylamino)propyl]trimethoxysilane (PAPTMS). Increase in NCO/OH ratios consumes more quantity of PAPTMS which makes PU with superior mechanical properties. Higher PAPTMS content in SPU results in effective crosslinking of the functional silanol groups formed by hydrolysis reaction of trimethoxysilane groups. Overall, SPUs synthesized at 1.4 NCO/OH ratio using Poly‐(oxytetramethylene)glycol (PTMG)‐2000 and isophorone diisocyanate (or) toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate have excellent properties compared to SPUs prepared using PTMG‐1000 and at 1.2 and 1.6 NCO/OH ratios. SPUs prepared at 1.6 NCO/OH ratio are brittle due to higher crosslinking density. In addition, the crosslinking density of the films can be modified through silane end‐group modification to produce SPUs with a wide range of physical properties. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of the monomer properties on the rheological behavior of chemically crosslinked hydrogels

The rheological behavior of two hydrogels, poly(sodium acrylate) and polyacrylamide gels, synthesized in the presence of the same crosslinking agent molecule, N,N′-methylene bis-acrylamide, has been investigated. The variation of the norm of the complex shear modulus |G*| vs. the monomer concentration (sodium acrylate or acrylamide) exhibited a different power law, depending on the nature of the monomer molecule. This discrepancy was ascribed to the influence of the properties of the monomer molecules on the crosslinked structure of the gelified networks. The analysis of the experimental results have allowed the suggestion that the elasticity exponent value was dependent on the length and on the conformation of the polymer chains connecting the junctions points of the network. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 2535–2541, 1997     

Thermal properties and fracture toughness of a liquid‐crystalline epoxy resin cured with an aromatic diamine crosslinker having a mesogenic group

A mesogenic‐type curing agent was synthesized to introduce a mesogenic group not only into epoxy resin backbones but also into the crosslink units. In the mesogenic curing agent system, the domain size became larger, and the network arrangement in each domain existed to a greater extent than that in a system cured with the ordinary diamine curing system according to the evidence from polarized optical micrographs and polarized Fourier transform infrared mapping measurements. Moreover, the fracture toughness of the system was considerably improved. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2486–2494, 2006     

Morphology of polyurethanes with triol monomer crosslinked on hard segments

Polyester‐based polyurethanes containing ≈60 wt % of polyester were synthesized from low molecular weight polyester (M_n ≈2000) and 4,4′‐methylene bis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), with butanediol as a chain extender and glycerol as a crosslinker. The triol crosslinker was used in substitution for the 1,4‐butanediol chain extender; thus, the crosslinker was chemical bonded to the hard segments of polyurethane. The morphologies of these polyurethanes were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), TMA (thermal mechanical analysis), and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy). Owing to the highly steric hindrance, the presence of triol crosslinker in the hard segments resulted in a decrease in the aggregation of hard segments through hydrogen bonding. The experimental results revealed that the degree of phase segregation of soft and hard segments decreased with increasing the triol crosslinker content in the hard segments. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2673–2681, 1999     

Exploring preferential association of laponite and cloisite with soft and hard segments in TPU‐clay nanocomposite prepared by solution mixing technique

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a versatile polymer exhibiting many engineering applications. In this article, two varieties of clay (Cloisite and Laponite RD) have been used to prepare TPU‐based nanocomposites. They differ in, chemical composition, hydrophobicity, aggregation tendency, and dispersibility in a particular solvent. A detailed investigation of the thermal, morphological, and rheological behavior reflects the affinity of Cloisite towards the soft segment, whereas it is the hard segment for modified Laponite. The maximum improvement in onset degradation temperature has been observed to be 17.5 and 8.3 °C for Cloisite and Laponite, respectively. Five percent Cloisite‐filled sample shows optimum storage modulus in the glassy region where as it is the 10% filled sample at the rubbery region. However, the trend remains indifferent both in rubbery and glassy regions for Laponite, and properties have been found optimum for 3% filled sample. To explore the behavior in the terminal and flow regions, dynamic rheological experiments were performed in low shear rate. Variation in dynamic rheological properties can be explained well on the basis of the combination of partly exfoliated, intercalated, and aggregated structures of the nano clay inside the TPU matrix, depending on their nature and preferential association with different segments. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2341–2354, 2008     

Preparation and dielectric properties of polyimide foams containing crosslinked structures

In order to obtain cellular materials with low dielectric properties, crosslinked polyimide foams were prepared using 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidine (TAP) as monomer via a poly(ester‐amine salt) precursor process. The structures of the precursors and the polyimide foams were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and FT‐IR, while the morphologies of the polyimide foams were viewed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The results revealed that the poly(ester‐amine salt) precursor containing TAP could successfully be converted to a crosslinked polyimide foam with relatively uniform cell structure. Also, the crosslinking of TAP improved the mechanical properties of foams in comparison with the non‐crosslinking systems. With increasing content of TAP, the dielectric constants of the polyimide foams decreased gradually. For the foam with TAP molar ratio at 15%, the dielectric constant was as low as 1.77 at the frequency of 10 kHz. Though the thermal resistance decreased slightly for crosslinked foams, the decomposition temperatures were still maintained above 520°C. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanical and thermo‐mechanical studies of double networks based on thermoplastic elastomers

A new approach to prepare and characterize double network elastomeric systems was investigated. A styrene‐ethylene‐co‐butylene‐styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer system containing physical crosslinks was used to achieve a double network by additional crosslinking using ultra‐violet (UV) light. An ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) terpolymer system containing chemical crosslinks was used to achieve a conventional double network using UV crosslinking. Properties from conventional monotonic tensile tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, and thermomechanical properties were investigated. These double network elastomers show a transition between competitive and collaborative behavior in their mechanical properties and lower coefficients of thermal expansion arising from a competition of the networks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 778–789, 2010     

Functional properties of microwave‐absorbent nanocomposite coatings based on thermoplastic polyurethane‐based and hybrid carbon‐based nanofillers

This paper describes the effect of nanofillers, such as nanographite, nickel–zinc ferrite (NiZnFerrite), and in‐house developed hybrid nanographite particles (i.e. iron‐coated nanographite [FeNG] and iron–nickel co‐deposited nanographite [FeNiNG] particles), on microwave‐absorption properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based nanocomposite coatings on textile substrate. The flexible coatings were tested for various functional properties such as microwave absorbency, gas barrier property, impedance, and weather resistance. The comparison has also been made with other fillers such as bulk graphite (G) and iron powder (Fe) and carbon nanofiber (CNF) in coating form. The nanoparticles' dispersion was observed through optical microscope and phase image analysis on atomic force microscopy. The impedance behavior of such coated samples with 10 wt% nanofillers is frequency dependent except for CNF, which shows frequency‐independent behavior even at 2 wt% loading. The gas barrier property of the FeNG‐based and FeNiNG‐based coatings is better than that of pure TPU; however, G‐based, NG‐based, and NiZnFerrite‐based coatings show excellent barrier property. The coatings were evaluated for their microwave absorbency at low‐frequency (from 0.3 to 1.5 GHz) as well as high‐frequency (8–18 GHz) ranges. The FeNG‐based and FeNiNG‐based nanocomposite coatings showed good absorbency over a frequency range of 8 to 14 GHz as compared with those of others. The flexibility of the nanocomposite films is almost retained even at 10 wt% nanofiller loading. The weather resistance of the films was also evaluated, and the FeNiNG‐based coating outperformed the FeNG‐based coating as the latter is prone to oxidation on exposure to environment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of NCO/OH ratio and Ce‐Zr nanoparticles on the thermo‐mechanical properties of hyperbranched polyurethane urea coatings

The present study describes the effect of NCO/OH ratio and addition of Cerium (Ce)‐Zirconium (Zr) mixed oxide nanoparticles on the properties of Hyperbranched Polyurethane Urea (HBPUU) Coatings. Initially a hydroxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer (HTBP) was synthesized through A₃ + CB₂ approach. The HTBP and Ce‐Zr nanopowder dispersed HTBP, both were reacted with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) separately; at various NCO/OH eq. ratios to get different NCO terminated HBPU and HBPU/Ce‐Zr hybrid prepolymers. These prepolymers were used for the preparation of HBPUU and HBPUU/Ce‐Zr hybrid coating films through moisture curing. The techniques such as ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT‐IR, and XRD have been used for structural information while Dynamic mechanical and thermal analyzer (DMTA), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Universal testing machine (UTM) have been used for evaluation of thermo‐mechanical properties. The combined spectroscopic investigations results indicate the formation of HBPUU network with a degree of branching of 76% while FT‐IR deconvolution results indicates the formation of more hydrogen bonded structure with increasing NCO/OH ratio. The XRD and FT‐IR studies confirm the presence of Ce‐Zr mixed nanoparticles in the HBPUU hybrids. As per TGA and DMTA analysis the thermal stability, char residue, storage modulus (E', material stiffness) and glass transition temperature (T_g), increases with increasing NCO/OH ratio and Ce‐Zr nanoparticle loading in HBPUU coatings. In general, UTM data suggest that the tensile strength increases and per cent elongation at break decreases with increasing the NCO/OH ratio and addition level of nanoparticles in HBPUU coatings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polyurethane elastomers based on amphiphilic poly(caprolactone)‐b‐poly(butadiene)‐b‐poly(caprolactone) triblockcopolyols

Hydroxyl‐terminated poly(butadiene) (HTPB; M_n = 2100 g mol⁻¹) was capped with 30 and 60 wt % of ɛ‐caprolactone to reach amphiphilic triblock copolymers in form of capped poly(butadiene) CPB. The former (CPB30; M_n = 3300 g/mol) is amorphous with a glass temperature of −56 °C. CPB60 (M_n = 4000 g mol⁻¹) is semi‐crystalline with a melting point of 50 °C and a glass transition at −47 °C. The CPBs, HTPB and polycaprolactone diol (M_n = 2000 g mol⁻¹) were used as soft segment components in the preparation of polyurethane elastomers (PUE), using a 1/1 mixture of an MDI prepolymer and uretonimine modified MDI, and hard phase components in form of 1,3‐propane diol, 1,4‐butane diol, and 1,5‐pentane diol. CPB‐based elastomers with 1,4 butane diol (8 wt %) show hard domains as fringed aggregates with a better connection to the continuous phase than the HTPB‐based PUE. The soft segment glass transition temperature (T_g) is at −28 °C for HTPB‐based PUE and at −43 °C for those of CPB. The tensile strength of the CPB30&60‐based PUE is found between 20 and 30 MPa at an elongation at break of 400% and 550%, respectively. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1162–1172     

Effect of surface modification of colloidal silica nanoparticles on the rigid amorphous fraction and mechanical properties of amorphous polyurethane–urea–silica nanocomposites

Colloidal silica nanoparticles (NPs) modified with eight different silane coupling agents were incorporated into an amorphous poly(tetramethylene oxide)‐based polyurethane–urea copolymer matrix at a concentration of 10 wt % (4.4 vol %) in order to investigate the effect of their surface chemistry on the structure–property behavior of the resulting nanocomposites. The rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) of the nanocomposite matrix as determined by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis was confirmed to vary significantly with the surface chemistry of the NPs and to be strongly correlated with the bulk mechanical properties in simple tension. Hence, nanocomposites with an RAF of about 30 wt % showed a 120% increase in Young's modulus, a 25% increase in tensile strength, a 15% decrease in elongation at break with respect to the neat matrix, which had no detectable RAF, whereas nanocomposites with an RAF of less than 5% showed a 60% increase in Young's modulus, a 10% increase in tensile strength and a 5% decrease in the elongation at break. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2543–2556     

Development of novel cardo‐containing phenylethynyl‐terminated polyimide with high thermal properties

A phenylethynyl‐terminated reactive diluent [Card‐4‐phenylethynylphthalic anhydride (PEPA)], which contained fluorenyl cardo structures, was successfully synthesized and used as a modifier for flexible phenylethynyl‐terminated imide oligomer (PEI‐PEPA). The chemical structure, crosslink characterization, molecular weights, and thermal properties of the products were characterized. The imide systems with addition of 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% Card‐PEPA to PEI‐PEPA (PEI‐PEPA‐Card) and their cured resin systems were prepared. The thermal curing behaviors of imide systems at different heating rates were analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal properties such as glass transition temperature (T_g) and char yield at 800°C of the resultant resin systems were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The rheological properties were also investigated using a dynamic rheometry. These properties were found to be outstanding compared with pure PEI‐PEPA. The uncured imide systems exhibited lower T_g and lower isothermal viscosity with addition of Card‐PEPA. Furthermore, the T_g and char yield of the cured resin systems increased with addition of Card‐PEPA. The cured resin systems containing 40 wt% Card‐PEPA exhibited the highest T_g of 359°C and char yield at 800°C of 66.5%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of dioctyl phthalate plasticization on the morphology and thermal,mechanical, and rheological properties of chemical crosslinked polylactide

The tensile strength and thermal stability of polylactide (PLA) were significantly improved through chemical crosslinking. However, it became much more rigid and brittle. To obtain a material with good thermal stability and enhanced ability to plastic deformation, chemical crosslinked PLA with 0.5 wt % triallyl isocyanurate and 0.5 wt % dicumyl peroxide was blended with different contents of dioctyl phthalate (DOP). The advantage of using DOP is that it does not crystallize, has low glass transition temperature, and is miscible with PLA. The morphology and the thermal and mechanical properties of the crosslinked PLA and the blends of crosslinked PLA with various contents of DOP were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, tensile test, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The rheological properties of samples were also explored by using a capillary rheometer. The results showed that the DOP was an effective plasticizer for the chemical crosslinked PLA, resulting in a significantly decreased T_g, lower yield stress, and improved elongation at break. The plasticization effect was enhanced by adding higher DOP content. In addition, the DOP enhanced the crystallinity of crosslinked PLA, and all the crosslinked samples showed better heat stability than neat PLA. The apparent viscosity of the blends decreased with the increase of DOP content and a phase separation occurred when the content of DOP exceeded 12.5 wt %. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1136–1145, 2009     

New photo‐induced thiol‐ene crosslinked films based on linear methacrylate copolymer polythiols

Thiol‐ene radical addition by photolysis is a highly efficient click reaction of sufhydryl groups with reactive enes that has been extensively explored as a promising means to construct multifunctional materials. Here, photo‐induced thiol‐ene crosslinked films composed of linear methacrylate copolymer polythiols (MCPsh) are reported. Well‐defined MCPsh copolymers were prepared by thiol‐responsive cleavage of pendant disulfide linkages positioned in the corresponding methacrylate copolymers with narrow molecular weight distribution which were synthesized by a controlled radical polymerization method. With a commercially available multifunctional acrylate as a model ene, photo‐induced thiol‐ene radical polyaddition of these polythiols is competitive to free‐radical homopolymerization of acrylates, yielding crosslinked films exhibiting rapid cure, uniform network, and enhanced mechanical properties; these properties are required for high performance coating materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2860–2868.     

Preparation and properties of well‐defined waterborne polyurethaneurea with fluorinated siloxane units in hard or soft segments

Two series of well‐defined polyurethaneurea (PUU) aqueous dispersions consisting of fluorinated siloxane units in the hard and the soft segments, respectively, were prepared from polyester polyol, α,ω‐dihydroxypoly[(3,3,3‐trifluoropropyl) methylsiloxane] (PTFPMS), dimethylolpropionic acid, isophorone diisocyanate, and ethylenediamine. These anionic aqueous dispersions were stable at the ambient temperature for more than 6 months. The experimental results showed that the water‐resistance performance of the PUU films prepared with the insertion of PTFPMS units into the hard segments (HFS series) were better than those prepared with the insertion of PTFPMS units into the soft segments (SFS series). The film prepared from the PUU aqueous dispersion incorporating 5 wt % PTFPMS in the hard segments exhibited the lowest water absorption amount (2.3 wt %) with the contact angle of water on the film surface greater than 90°. In comparison with the PUU film without adding PTFPMS, the waterproof performance and the mechanical properties of both HFS and SFS series were enhanced markedly. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5005–5016, 2007     

Synthesis,structure, and properties of polyimide and polyurethane‐urea‐imide copolymers

Several, novel polyimide–polyurethane‐urea‐imide (PI‐PUI) copolymers with different polyimide (PI) contents were prepared by an in situ interpenetrating reaction between polyurethane‐urea‐imide (PUI) precursor and poly(amide acid). Changing the ratio of the PUI precursor and poly(amide acid) resulted in a change of the properties of the PI‐PUI copolymers from plastic to elastomer. Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed the characteristic absorption bands of PI‐PUI copolymers; differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses revealed that the glass‐transition temperature of the soft‐segment‐rich phase decreased as the PI content increased in PI‐PUIs, meaning that the soft segments (i.e., PEG) were more incompatible and had better crystallizability with a high‐PI‐segment content in PI‐PUI. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction curves exhibited more ordered structure within the disordered PI‐PUI copolymer's state with an increasing PI content, which further agreed with the DSC results. Scanning electron micrographs clearly showed that the molecular chains in PI‐PUI with a high‐PI‐content packed, ordered lamellar structure. Thermogravimetric curves indicated that the heat resistance of PI‐PUI was better than pure PUI. The introduction of the PI component into PUI by an in situ interpenetrating reaction method is an effective way to improve the thermal stability and solvent resistance of PUI. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 216–225, 2004     

Double‐crosslinked reversible redox‐responsive hydrogels based on disulfide–thiol interchange

We present novel redox‐responsive hydrogels based on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) or poly(acrylamide), consisting of a reversible disulfide crosslinking agent N,N′‐bis(acryloyl)cystamine and a permanent crosslinking agent N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide for microfluidic applications. The mechanism of swelling/deswelling behavior starts with the cleavage and reformation of disulfide bonds, leading to a change of crosslinking density and crosslinking points. Raman and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy confirm that conversion efficiency of thiol–disulfide interchange up to 99%. Rheological analysis reveals that the E modulus of hydrogel is dependent on the crosslinking density and can be repeatedly manipulated between high‐ and low‐stiffness states over at least 5 cycles without significant decrease. Kinetic studies showed that the mechanical strength of the gels changes as the redox reaction proceeds. This process is much faster than the autonomous diffusion in the hydrogel. Moreover, cooperative diffusion coefficient (D_coop) indicates that the swelling process of the hydrogel is affected by the reduction reaction. Finally, this reversibly switchable redox behavior of bulky hydrogel could be proven in microstructured hydrogel dots through short‐term photopatterning process. These hydrogel dots on glass substrates also showed the desired short response time on cyclic swelling and shrinking processes known from downsized hydrogel shapes. Such stimuli‐responsive hydrogels with redox‐sensitive crosslinkers open a new pathway in exchanging analytes for sensing and separating in microfluidics applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2590–2601     

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane‐urea clay nanocomposites using montmorillonite modified by oxyethylene–oxypropylene copolymer

Clay organifier with propylene oxide‐capped polyethylene glycol (PEG) with amine end group (jeffamines ED_600–2003) was synthesized through an ion exchange process between sodium cations in montmorillonite (MMT) and ? NH groups in ED_600–2003. The d‐spacing of organoclay was found to be 1.697–1.734 nm compared to 0.96 nm of pristine MMT. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the molecular dispersion of the clay within ED₆₀₀. Polyurethane‐urea/montmorillonite (PUU‐MMT) nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization from polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) or 1,4 butane diol (1,4 BD), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), jeffamines ED_600–2003, and 1–12 wt% of organoclay. Intercalation of PUU into modified clays was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and TEM. The barrier properties were significantly reduced; however, the thermal stability was increased in the nanocomposites as compared to the pristine polymer. Nanocomposites exhibited optical clarity and solvent resistance. The mechanical properties and the glass transition temperature of PUU were improved with the addition of organoclay. The incorporation of silicate layers gave rise to a considerable increase in the storage modulus (stiffness), demonstrating the reinforcing effect of clay on the PUU matrix. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laser‐Induced Crosslinking of Ultra‐Low‐ and High‐Density Polyethylene

The use of laser radiation to initiate the crosslinking process in ultra low‐density polyethylene (ULDPE) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) was evaluated. The process was found to be most effective for pulsed laser irradiation when the polymer was traced with a photoinitiator: 4‐chlorobenzophenone (CBP). The gel content measurements proved that crosslinking took place in all the irradiated samples. The degree of crosslinking was measured for different values of irradiation energy, temperature, photoinitiator concentration and the nature and type of crosslinking agents. The effects of all these parameters on the degree of crosslinking and the consequent effects on mechanical properties of the polymers were analyzed. Also found in the present study is the fact that a better efficiency of crosslinking was achieved at longer laser irradiation wavelength. The ultimate tensile stress and elongation at fracture were measured for all cross‐linked samples and compared with those of the controlled ones.