New comb-like nanostructured copolymers: A promising route towards new industrial applications

This paper deals with the conception, the synthesis by reactive extrusion and the characterization of new materials based on comb-like nanostructured copolymers. Among these structures, the initially studied polyamide-g-polyolefin (PA-g-PO) exhibits a unique balance of low modulus at room temperature and a high level of thermo-mechanical resistance. To generate these structures, two different synthesis processes - “grafting onto” and “grafting from” - have been compared to generate the expected grafted and nanostructured morphologies through different examples: polyamide-g-polyolefin (PA-g-PO), poly(oxyethylene glycol)-g-polyolefin (PEG-g-PO), polyamide-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PA-g-PMMA) and poly(methyl methacrylate)-g-polyolefin (PMMA-g-PO). It is concluded that the “grafting onto” method allows the expected morphologies to be generated more easily. Moreover, key parameters which control the morphology development have been identified from these studies. Finally, some potential industrial applications are proposed for these structures, linked with their key performances.