Preparation and properties of heteroarm polymers and graft copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and polystyrene by macromonomer method

Heteroarm polymers as well as graft copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, and polystyrene, PSt, were prepared by the macromonomer method to investigate the influence of polymer architecture on polymer properties. Macromonomers used were ω-methacryloyl poly(ethylene oxide), MA-PEOs, and methacryloyloxyethyl polystyrene, MA-PSts, which were prepared by the living anionic polymerization technique. The MA-PEOs were copolymerized with ΜΑ-PSt or styrene monomer using AIBN in benzene to obtain the heteroarm polymers and graft copolymers composed of the same polymer constituents. Polarization microscopic observation and differential scanning calorimetry measurement for solvent cast film specimens revealed that the melting point, Tm, and the crystallinity, Xc, of PEO component were influenced by the existence of PSt chains within the molecule. Tm and Xc decreased with increase in the PSt content in the copolymers, where decrease in Xc was more prominent than Tm and was influenced by the polymer architecture. Hysteresis of contact angles on the film specimens toward water were also influenced by the polymer architecture.