Thermalproperties of multiblock thermoplastic elastomerswith oligoamide soft blocksderived from dimerized fatty acid

Two series of multiblock copolymers, poly(ester-block-amide)s (PEA) and poly(amide-block-amide)s (PAA), with the same type of oligoamide soft block were obtained. Oligoamide soft block was prepared from dimerized fatty acid and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine. Oligo(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was used as oligoester hard block in the first series and oligolaurolactam (PA12) was oligoamide hard block in the second one. The thermal and mechanical properties of these copolymers have been investigated as functions of temperature and the hard/soft block ratio. DSC and DMTA revealed that the copolymers behaved as thermoplastic elastomers.