Studying structure-property relationships in oligomeric engineering thermoplastics by controlled preparation of low molecular weight polymers

Ian Hamerton*, Brendan J. Howlin, Sin Yi C Yeung

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The preparation of a series of oligomeric engineering thermoplastics (PS, PES, PEI and PAI) is reported. 1H and 13C NMR and FT-IR/ATR spectroscopic techniques are combined to determine the chemical structure of the synthetic polymers, which are produced in good yield and purity. GPC measurements show the weight average molecular weight (M w) of the synthesised thermoplastics fall in the range 5454-33,866 g mol-1 and display polydispersity indices in the range 1.33-1.82. Glass transition temperatures (Tg) values measured by DSC, occur between 107 and 257 °C and fall in the pattern PS < PES < PEI < PAI. Molecular simulation is used to probe the structure property relationships displayed by PS and PES and reproduces the elastic properties of PS well within the range of the literature; while the values of PES are less well reproduced. The simulated Tg values of both oligomers agree well with those obtained empirically using DSC.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-32
Number of pages11
JournalReactive and Functional Polymers
Volume81
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Engineering thermoplastics
  • Low molecular weight
  • Modelling
  • Thermal analysis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Studying structure-property relationships in oligomeric engineering thermoplastics by controlled preparation of low molecular weight polymers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this