Heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 1,4-poly(isoprene) (PI), atac
tic poly(styrene) (PS), and two poly(styrene)-poly(isoprene) (PS-PI) d
iblock copolymers was performed using two palladium supported catalyst
s. In each case fully saturated materials were obtained with no chain
degradation. The dynamic and thermodynamic properties of these materia
ls were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and dynam
ic mechanical spectroscopy. Saturated poly(styrene), denoted poly(viny
lcyclohexane) (PVCH), exhibited a glass transition temperature (T(g))
that is 40 deg higher than that of poly(styrene). For diblock copolyme
rs of PVCH and poly(ethylene-propylene) (PEP) this increase in T(g) is
accompanied by a slight increase in the order-disorder transition tem
perature, T(ODT), relative to that characterizing the PS-PI precursor.
Estimates of the associated segment-segment interaction parameters ba
sed on group contribution methods anticipate a steep reduction in T(OD
T) with saturation, contrary to this result.