Optical and Morphological Properties of Hexafluoroisopropylidene Bisphenol Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Segmented Copolymers

摘要

Multiphase segmented block copolymers are of considerable practical interest because of their mechanical and other properties. The incorporation of a soft rubbery material, like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) into a high Tg thermoplastic leads to dramatically improved impact resistance. Bisphenol A based poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BA PAES) is an excellent high Tg amorphous thermoplastic; however, it exhibits poor impact properties, especially in the notched Izod test. Previous work by Noshay et al. has shown that the formation of PAES- PDMS segmented copolymers can provide improved impact resistance of the polymer because the soft domains can stop crack propagation in the material. However, it is important to control the size and distribution of the rubber domains; otherwise, large size rubber domains (comparable to the wavelength of visible light) can scatter visible light, and result in hazy or opaque materials.