Journal
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 38, Issue 19, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201700352
Keywords
hot-melt extrusion; molecular weight distribution; polymer synthesis; rheology
Categories
Funding
- Victorian Endowment for Science Knowledge and Innovation
- 3M Nontenured Faculty Award
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Molecular weight and dispersity (D) influence physical and rheological properties of polymers, which are of significant importance in polymer processing technologies. However, these parameters provide only partial information about the precise composition of polymers, which is reflected by the shape and symmetry of molecular weight distribution (MWD). In this work, the effect of MWD symmetry on thermal and rheological properties of polymers with identical molecular weights and D is demonstrated. Remarkably, when the MWD is skewed to higher molecular weight, a higher glass transition temperature (T-g), increased stiffness, increased thermal stability, and higher apparent viscosities are observed. These observed differences are attributed to the chain length composition of the polymers, easily controlled by the synthetic strategy. This work demonstrates a versatile approach to engineer the properties of polymers using controlled synthesis to skew the shape of MWD.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available