Property and morphology development in nanocomposite thermoplastic elastomer gels

Thermoplastic elastomer gels (TPEGs), molecular networks composed of a microphase-separated multiblock copolymer swollen to a large extent by a low-volatility midblock-selective solvent, are ubiquitous in a wide range of contemporary technologies, including home and office products, athletic equipment, and telecommunications devices. In this work, we investigate the effect of several network-forming nanoscale modifiers-two different silica nanoparticles, three different nanoclays, and a multiwalled carbon nanotube-on the property and morphology development of a TPEG prepared from a microphase-ordered poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (SEBS) triblock copolymer imbibed with an EB-compatible aliphatic mineral oil. Dynamic rheological measurements of the resultant nanocomposite TPEGs confirm that addition of these modifiers affects the linear viscoelastic threshold and increases, to different extents, the dynamic elastic modulus, the dynamic yield stress, and the maximum operating temperature of the parent TPEG. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the nanoclays used to generate three series of modified TPEGs are generally swollen with copolymer and/or solvent.