Synthesis and characterization of new poly(arylene ether)s containing heterocyclic units. II.

A series of new poly(arylene ether)s, containing naphthalene, pyridine, and quinoline units have been prepared by solution condensation polymerization. The synthesis involves nucleophilic displacement of aromatic dihalides with aromatic potassium bisphenates in an anhydrous dipolar aprotic solvent at elevated temperatures. The polymers, having inherent viscosity from 0.24 to 1.32 dL/g, were obtained in quantitative yield, have excellent thermal stability as shown by 10% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen and air (above 450 and 430°C, respectively) and high glass transition temperatures (in the range of 150–220°C). The introduction of quinoline moieties in the polymer backbone positively influences the thermal properties, such as high T_g/T_m ratios. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characterization of poly(silylenemethylene)s by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. I.

Amorphous and crystalline poly(silylenemethylene)s with the repeating PhRSiCH₂ (R : Me or Ph) units were characterized by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to gain insights into the molecular motions of these polymers. The temperature dependence of the ortho-positronium lifetime (τ₃) and intensity (I₃) was examined from 50 to 470 K for each sample. The glass transition temperature of each polymer was easily distinguished by a change in the slope of τ₃ spectrum. Both polymers exhibited a steep drop of I₃ at 130–140 K being probably assignable to the transition arising from the motions of phenyl groups, which was almost undetectable by means of differential scanning calorimetry or dynamic mechanical analysis. Several other transitions of these polymers detected by PALS are also discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 755–761, 1998     

Effect of physical aging of poly(1‐trimethylsilyl‐1‐propyne) films synthesized with TaCl5 and NbCl5 on gas permeability,fractional free volume,and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy parameters

The effect of physical aging on the gas permeability, fractional free volume (FFV), and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) parameters of dense, isotropic poly(1‐trimethylsilyl‐1‐propyne) (PTMSP) films synthesized with TaCl₅ and NbCl₅ was characterized. As‐cast films were soaked in methanol until an equilibrium amount of methanol was absorbed by the polymer. When the films were removed from methanol, film thickness initially decreased rapidly and was almost constant after 70 h in air for both catalysts. This timescale was much longer than the timescale for complete methanol desorption (ca. 5 h). From the film‐thickness data, the reduction in FFV with time was estimated. For samples prepared with either catalyst, the kinetics of FFV reduction were well‐described by a simple model based on the notion either that free‐volume elements diffuse to the surface of the polymer film and are subsequently eliminated from the sample or that lattice contraction controls polymer densification. Methane permeability decreased rapidly during the first 70 h, which was the same timescale for the thickness change. The decrease in methane permeability was smaller in films prepared with NbCl₅ than with TaCl₅. The logarithm of methane permeability decreased linearly as reciprocal FFV increased, in accordance with free‐volume theory. The PALS results indicate that the concentration of larger free‐volume elements (as indicated by the intensity I₄) decreased with aging time and that the other PALS parameters were not strongly influenced by aging. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1222–1239, 2000     

Isothermal melt and cold crystallization kinetics of poly(aryl ether ketone ether ketone ketone)

The isothermal melt and cold crystallization kinetics of poly(aryl ether ketone ether ketone ketone) are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry over two temperature regions. The Avrami equation describes the primary stage of isothermal crystallization kinetics with the exponent n ≈ 2 for both melt and cold crystallization. With the Hoffman–Weeks method, the equilibrium melting point is estimated to be 406 °C. From the spherulitic growth equation proposed by Hoffman and Lauritzen, the nucleation parameter (K_g) of the isothermal melt and cold crystallization is estimated. In addition, the K_g value of the isothermal melt crystallization is compared to those of the other poly(aryl ether ketone)s. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1992–1997, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether)s derived from 4,4′‐bishydroxybiphenyl and 4,4′‐bishydroxyterphenyl

A series of poly(arylene ether)s were successfully prepared by aromatic, nucleophilic substitution reactions with various perfluoroalkyl‐activated bisfluoromonomers with 4,4′‐bishydroxybiphenyl and 4,4′‐bishydroxyterphenyl. 4,4′‐Bishydroxyterphenyl was synthesized through the Grignard coupling reaction of magnesium salt of 4‐bromoanisole with dibromobenzene followed by demethylation with pyridine–hydrochloride. The products obtained by the displacement of fluorine atoms exhibited good inherent viscosity, up to 0.77 dL/g, and number‐average molecular weights up to 69,300. These poly(arylene ether)s showed very good thermal stability, up to 548 °C for 5% weight loss according to thermogravimetric analysis under synthetic air, and high glass‐transition temperatures, up to 259 °C according to differential scanning calorimetry, depending on the exact repeat unit structure. These polymers were soluble in a wide range of organic solvents, such as N‐methylpyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, and CHCl₃, and were insoluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and acetone. Thin films of these poly(arylene ether)s showed good transparency and exhibited tensile strengths up to 132 MPa, moduli up to 3.34 GPa, and elongations at break up to 84%, depending on their exact repeating unit structures. These values are comparable to those of high‐performance thermoplastic materials such as poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and Ultem poly(ether imide) (PEI). These poly(arylene ether)s exhibited low dielectric constants. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 55–69, 2002     

Gas transport in poly(vinyl methylbenzoates)

Permeation of eight gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, O₂, N₂, CO₂, and CH₄) in three isomeric poly(vinyl methylbenzoates) was measured by the time-lag method, and the effects of the shape of side groups on gas transport in the polymers were investigated. The p-methylphenyl side group of poly(vinyl p-methylbenzoate), which increases both interchain and intrachain distances, caused an increase in gas diffusivity. The diffusivity and density data were consistent with free volume theory. Two other isomeric polymers, poly(vinyl o-methylbenzoate) and poly(vinyl m-methylbenzoate), had lower gas diffusivities than poly(vinyl p-methylbenzoate) and poly(vinyl benzoate). The o-methyl and m-methyl groups on the phenyl ring were found to hinder gas diffusion, i.e., decrease the free volume. In contrast, the solubility of the gases in all these polymers was similar because of their similar chemical structures. The effects of hydroxyl groups also were investigated by the use of poly(vinyl m-methylbenzoate) containing a small number of vinyl alcohol units. The decrease in gas diffusivity was attributed to the decrease of free volume due to hydrogen bonding, but the change of gas solubility was still negligible.     

Crosslinkable fluorinated poly(arylene ethers) bearing phenyl ethynyl moiety for low-loss polymer optical waveguide devices

Crosslinkable fluorinated poly(arylene ethers) (FPAE-Fn-PEP) with high transparency and high thermal stability have been investigated for low-loss optical waveguide materials. FPAE-Fn-PEP bearing phenyl ethynyl moiety at the polymer chain end were synthesized by the reaction of 4,4′-(hexafluoro-isopropylidene)diphenol with an excess decafluorobiphenyl, followed by the reaction of 4-phenyl ethynyl phenol. The M_ns and M_w/M_ns of the polymers determined by GPC with polystyrene standard were in the range of 6200 to 19,400 and 1.4 to 2.04, respectively. The resulting polymers were thermally crosslinked at 320°C for 2 h. The cured polymers show good chemical resistance and high thermal stability up to 510°C under nitrogen. The refractive indices of their films were controlled between 1.495 and 1.530 at 1.55 μm by adjusting molecular weight. A single-mode channel waveguide made of FPAE-F20-PEP was fabricated by conventional photolithography and O₂ reactive ion etching (RIE). The propagation loss of the channel waveguide was measured and found to be less than 0.2 dB/cm at 1.55 μm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2881–2887, 1998     

Glass transition and miscibility in blends of two semicrystalline polymers: Poly(aryl ether ketone) and poly(ether ether ketone)

Binary melt‐blended mixtures of two aryl ether ketone polymers (i.e., a new poly(aryl ether ketone) (code name PK99) and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), have been studied. Polymer miscibility in glassy amorphous (or melt) domains has been demonstrated for the binary blend comprising of two aryl‐ether‐ketone‐type semicrystalline polymers. Composition‐dependent, single T_g was observed within full composition range in the PK99/PEEK blends, and the narrow T_g breadth also suggests that the scale of mixing was fine and uniform. To better resolve any possible overlapping T_g's, physical aging was imposed on a comparison set of blend samples for the purpose of improving detectability of overlapped multiple transitions if existing. The result still showed one single T_g. The relative sharp T_g and lack of cloud point transition suggest that the scale of molecular intermixing is good. Phase homogeneity was further confirmed using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The X‐ray diffractograms suggest that isomorphism does not exist in the PK99/PEEK blends and that the crystal forms of the respective polymers remain distinct and unchanged by the miscibility in the amorphous region. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1485–1494, 1999     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Poly(Arylene Ether)s from 4,4′‐Thiodiphenol

Four novel perfluoroalkylated poly(arylene ether)s have been synthesized successfully using four perfluoroalkyl‐activated bisfluoro monomers. These polymers are synthesized through nucleophilic displacement of the fluorine atoms on the benzene ring with 4,4′‐thiodiphenol and are named as 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d, respectively. The polymers obtained by displacement of the fluorine atoms exhibit weight‐average molar masses up to 3.9×10⁴ g · mol^?1 in Gel permeation chromatography. These poly(arylene ether)s showed very high thermal stability up to 548°C for 10% weight loss in TGA under nitrogen and high glass transition temperature (T_g) up to 178°C in DSC depending on the repeat unit structures. The glass transition temperatures taken as peak in tan δ in DMA measurements are in good agreement with the DSC T_g values. All the polymers synthesized are soluble in a wide range of organic solvent such as CHCl₃, CHCl₂, THF, NMP, DMF and toluene. Transparent thin films of these polymers cast from THF exhibited tensile strengths up to 72 MPa, modulus up to 1.69 GPa with low elongation at break depending on their exact repeating unit structures. Rheological properties showed ease of processability of these polymers with no change in melt viscosity with temperature.     

Effect of temperature and water as additive on the MW and thermal properties of copoly(p-phenylene/biphenylene sulfide)s

Copoly(p-phenylene/biphenylene sulfide)s, PPBS were prepared from sodium sulfide trihydate(Na₂S·3H₂O), p-dichlorobenzene (DCB), and 4,4′-dibromobiphenyl (DBB) comonomers in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) solvent using an autoclave. The molecular weights of PPBS copolymers were determined by high temperature (210°C) GPC in 1-chloronaphthalene solvent. The reaction temperature had little effect on the molecular weights of PPBS copolymers with water as additive at the level of 3 mol H₂O per 1 mol Na₂S. PPBS copolymer, however, showed maximum molecular weight of M_w = 24.1 × 10³ with the total water content of 9 mol H₂O per 1 mol Na₂S at an optimum polymerization temperature of 270°C. The resulting PPBS copolymer sample showed higher T_g (by 30°C) and lower T_m (by 10°C) than PPS homopolymer prepared under similar conditions. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis,characterization, and comparison of properties of new fluorinated poly(arylene ether)s containing phthalimidine moiety in the main chain

Four new poly(arylene ether)s have been prepared by the reaction of N‐phenyl‐3,3‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)phthalimidine (PA) with four different perfluoroalkylated monomers namely 1,3‐bis(4′‐fluoro‐3′‐trifluoromethyl benzyl) benzene, 4,4′‐bis(4′‐fluoro‐3′‐trifluoromethyl benzyl) biphenyl, 2,6‐bis(4′‐fluoro‐3′‐trifluoromethyl benzyl) pyridine, and 2,5‐bis(4′‐fluoro‐3′‐trifluoromethyl benzyl) thiophene. The poly(arylene ether)s were characterized by different spectroscopic, thermal, mechanical, and electrical techniques. The poly(arylene ether) containing quadriphenyl unit in the main chain showed very high glass transition temperature of 291°C and outstanding thermal stability upto 556°C for 10% weight loss under a 4:1 nitrogen:oxygen mixture. The polymers were soluble in a wide range of organic solvents. Transparent thin films of these polymers exhibited tensile strengths upto 75 MPa and elongation at break upto 32%. The films of these polymers showed low water absorption of 0.26%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of poly[arylene ether (N-arylenebenzimidazole)]s

Poly(arylene ether)s containing N-arylenebenzimidazole groups were prepared by the aromatic nucleophilic displacement reaction of two new bis(hydroxyphenyl-N-arylenebenzimidazole)s with activated aromatic difluorides in sulfolane at 200°C in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate. The bis(hydroxyphenyl-N-arylenebenzimidazole)s were prepared from bis(o-aminoanilino) arylenes and phenyl-4-hydroxybenzoate. The polymers were soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and m-cresol and exhibited inherent viscosities from 0.37–0.86 dL/g and glass transition temperatures from 219–289°C. Thermogravimetric analyses showed 5% weight losses from 463–506°C in air and 467–522°C in nitrogen. Unoriented thin films exhibited tensile strengths, moduli, and break elongations at 23°C of 10.2–12.5 ksi, 318–365 ksi, and 4–7%, respectively, and at 177°C of 5.1–6.9 ksi, 256–296 ksi, and 1–5%, respectively. A 50 : 50 random copolymer prepared from 1,3-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl) benzene, 1,1'-(4,4'-biphenylene)-bis[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole], and 5,5'-bis[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole] exhibited higher moisture absorption and lower tensile properties than those predicted by a rule of mixtures relationship. The chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of these polymers are discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.?     

Synthesis and characterization of phthalazinone containing poly(arylene ether)s via a novel N–C coupling reaction

High‐molecular‐weight poly(phthalazinone)s with very high glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) were synthesized via a novel N–C coupling reaction. New bisphthalazinone monomers ( 7a–e ) were synthesized from 2‐(4‐chlorobenzoyl) phthalic acid in two steps. Poly(phthalazinone)s, having inherent viscosities in the range of 0.34–0.91 dL/g, were prepared by the reaction of the bis(phthalazinone) monomers with an activated aryl halide in a dipolar aprotic solvent in the presence of potassium carbonate. The poly(phthalazinone)s exhibited T_g's greater than 230 °C. polymer 8b synthesized from diphenyl biphenol and bis(4‐flurophenyl) sulfone demonstrated the highest T_g of 297 °C. Thermal stabilities of the poly(phthalazinone)s were determined by thermogravimetric analysis. All the poly(phthalazinone)s showed a similar pattern of decomposition with no weight loss below 450 °C in nitrogen. The temperatures of 5% weight loss were observed to be about 500 °C. The poly(phthalazinone)s containing 4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenol and 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphenol and diphenyl ether linkage were soluble in chlorinated solvents such as chloroform. Other poly‐(phthalazinone)s were soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as N,N′‐dimethylacetamide. The soluble poly(phthalazinone)s can be cast as flexible films from solution. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2481–2490, 2003     

A positron annihilation study on the microstructure of cyanate ester resin toughened by carboxyl‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile rubber system

The toughness of cyanate ester (CE) resin matrix improves significantly with the addition of carboxyl‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile rubber (CTBN). The curing behavior of the system was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results show that carboxyl groups on the CTBN chain have a slight activation effect on the CE curing reaction at the beginning of the curing process. Phase separation was found to be the main toughening mechanism for CE/CTBN composites. The existence of macro‐size pores induced by the decomposition of a small amount of the low weight molecular part of CTBN might be another toughening mechanism. It is confirmed that positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is still valid in such a system where macropores filled with gas molecules exist. When a high weight percentage of CTBN (>8%) was added to CE, free‐positron annihilation was found to be the dominant annihilation process in the macropores. For CTBN weight percentage higher than 8%, the contribution of ortho‐positronium (o‐Ps) annihilation in the macropores to τ₃ and I₃ was found to be insignificant. It is effective to use PALS as a probe of free‐volume properties in such systems by determining the changes in the τ₃ and I₃ of the composite. The compatibility and interfacial adhesion of the composites can be estimated from the changes in the free‐volume properties of the composites. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Poly(arylene ether)s,poly(arylene thioether)s,and poly(arylene sulfone)s derived from a dihydroxy(imidoarylene) monomer

Novel poly(arylene ether)s, poly(arylene thioether)s, and poly(arylene sulfone)s were synthesized from the dihydroxy(imidoarylene) monomer 1 . The syntheses of poly(arylene ether)s were carried out in DMAc in the presence of anhydrous K₂CO₃ by a nucleophilic substitution reaction between the bisphenol and activated difluoro compounds. Poly(arylene thioether)s were synthesized according to the recently discovered one-pot polymerization reaction between a bis(N,N′-dimethyl-S-carbamate) and activated difluoro compounds in the presence of a mixture of Cs₂CO₃ and CaCO₃. The bis(N,N′-dimethyl-S-carbamate) 3 was synthesized by the thermal rearrangement reaction of bis(N,N′-dimethylthiocarbamate) 2 , which was synthesized from 1 by a phase-transfer catalyzed reaction. The poly(arylene thioether)s were further oxidized to form poly(arylene sulfone)s, which would be very difficult, if not impossible, to synthesize by other methods. All of the polymers described have extremely high T_gs and thermal stability as determined from DSC and TGA analysis. Poly(arylene sulfone)s have the highest T_gs and they are in the range of 298–361°C. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1201–1208, 1998     

LC-polyimides XXXIV. Noncrystalline thermotropic copoly(ester-imide)s based on PET

Four series of copoly(ester-imide)s (co-PEIs) were prepared by transesterification of poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, with N-(4-carboxyphenyl)trimellitimide and an acetylated diphenol. Methylhydroquinone, tert. butylhydroquinone, phenylhydroquinone, and 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene were used as diphenols. The chemical structures of these co-PEIs were characterized by chemical analyses, ¹H-, and ¹³C-NMR spectra. A low degree of crystallinity was observed when the PET content was above 85% mol %. Between 60 and 80 mol % PET all co-PEIs are biphasic, whereas below 60 mol % the co-PEIs form a homogeneous nematic melt and below the glass transition temperature (T_g) a nematic glass. The T_gs vary continously with the molar composition but the mechanical properties drop sharply when the nematic phase changes to an isotropic one. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1813–1820, 1998     

On the measurement of structural relaxation in polymers using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy has been identified as an effective means of characterizing the free volume content of amorphous polymers. The lifetime and intensity of the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) pick-off annihilation has been found to correlate with the average size and density of free volume sites, respectively. Recently, PALS has been used to evaluate and monitor the physical aging and structural relaxation of polymers in terms of both initial state and evolution in state with time. However, during extended PALS measurements in insulating materials, an electric field can build up due to positron-electron annihilation and can effectively reduce the probability of positronium formation. In this paper, an observed decrease in intensity associated with the o-Ps annihilation component in the glassy polymers polycarbonate and polystyrene is found to be unrelated to structural relaxation of the materials over the time periods examined as reported earlier by others, and, instead, to be more likely a result of electric charge build-up. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of poly(ether imide)s based on the bis(ether anhydride)s from hydroquinone and its derivatives

Four bis(ether anhydride)s, 4,4′‐(1,4‐phenylenedioxy)diphthalic anhydride (IV), 4,4′‐(2,5‐tolylenedioxy)‐diphthalic anhydride (Me‐IV), 4,4′‐(2‐chloro‐1,4‐phenylenedioxy)diphthalic anhydride (Cl‐IV), and 4,4′‐(2,5‐biphenylenedioxy)diphthalic anhydride (Ph‐IV), were prepared in three steps starting from the nucleophilic nitrodisplacement reaction of 4‐nitrophthalonitrile with the potassium phenoxides of hydroquinone and various substituted hydroquinones such as methylhydroquinone, chlorohydroquinone, and phenylhydroquinone in N,N‐dimethylformamide, followed by alkaline hydrolysis and dehydration. Four series of poly(ether imide)s were prepared from bis(ether anhydride)s with various aromatic diamines by a classical two‐step procedure. The inherent viscosities of the intermediate poly(amic acid)s were in the range of 0.40–2.63 dL/g. Except for those derived from p‐phenylenediamine and benzidine, almost all the poly(amic acid)s could be solution‐cast and thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films. Introduction of the chloro or phenyl substituent leads to a decreased crystallinity and an increased solubility of the polymers. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of these polyimides were recorded in the range of 204–263°C. In general, the methyl‐ and chloro‐substituted polyimides exhibited relatively higher T_gs, whereas the phenyl‐substituted ones exhibited slightly lower T_gs compared to the corresponding nonsubstituted ones. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) showed that 10% weight loss temperatures of all the polymers were above 500°C either in nitrogen or in air. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 665–675, 1999     

Poly(arylene ether)s and poly(arylene thioether)s containing the 1,2-dihydro-4-phenyl(2H)- phthalazinone moiety

A series of new high molecular weight poly(arylene ether)s containing the 1,2-dihydro-4-phenyl(2H)phthalazinone moiety have been synthesized. The inherent viscosities of these polymers are in the range of 0.33–0.64 dL/g. They are amorphous and readily soluble in chloroform, DMF, and DMAc. The glass transition temperatures of the polymers range from 241 to 320°C and the 5% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen atmosphere range from 473 to 517°C. The hydroxy group in the monomer 1,2-dihydro-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)(2H)phthalazin-1-one has been selectively transformed into the N,N′-dimethylthiocarbamate group, which was then rearranged to give the S-(N,N′-dimethylcarbamate) group via the Newman–Kwart rearrangement reaction. A series of poly(arylene thioether)s containing the 1,2-dihydro-4-phenyl(2H)phthalazinone moiety have also been synthesized via two types of reactions, a N C coupling reaction and a one-pot reaction between the S-(N,N′-dimethylcarbamate) and activated dihalo compounds, in diphenyl sulfone in the presence of a cesium carbonate and calcium carbonate mixture. These poly(arylene thioether)s also have high glass transition temperatures (ranging from 217–303°C) and high thermal stabilities. Compared with their poly(ether) analogs, the poly(arylene thioether)s have glass transition temperatures several degrees lower, which is attributed to the more flexible C S C bonds. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36 : 455–460, 1998     

Positron annihilation lifetime and differential scanning calorimetric study of immiscible NBR/PE blends

The temperature dependence of the mean size of nanoscale free‐volume holes, 〈V_h〉, in polymer blend system consisting of polar and nonpolar polymers has been investigated. The positron lifetime spectra were measured for a series of polymer blends between polyethylene (PE) and nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) as a function of temperature from 100 to 300 K. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) for blends were determined from the ortho‐positronium (o‐Ps) lifetime τ₃ and the mean size of free‐volume holes 〈V_h〉 versus temperature as a function of wt % of NBR. The T_gs estimated from the PALS data agree very well with those estimated from DSC in view of different time scales involved in the two measurements. Both DSC and PALS results for the blends showed two clear T_gs of a two‐phase system. Furthermore, from the variation of thermal expansivity of the nanoscale free‐volume holes, the thermal expansion coefficients of glass and amorphous phases were estimated. Variations of the o‐Ps formation probability I₃ versus temperature for pure PE and blends with low wt % of NBR were interpreted on the basis of the spur reaction model of Ps formation with reference to the effects of localized electrons and trapping centers produced by positron irradiation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 227–238, 2009