Hydrogen bonding in butadiene copolymers. I. Network formation

The incorporation of comonomers bearing functional groups yields butadiene copolymers capable of hydrogen bonding. Three such butadiene-based materials were studied: methacrylic acid copolymers, 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine copolymers, and stoichiometric mixtures of the acidic and basic copolymers. The elastic effects of intermolecular hydrogen bonding were determined by comparing the simple weighted average of the moduli of the parent copolymers with the observed modulus of their stoichiometric mixture. The results show that measurable increases in the moduli of the mixtures persist even above the glass temperature T_g, which is itself elevated in the mixtures. These increases may be treated as temperature-dependent temporary crosslinks.