THERMOANALYTICAL STUDIES OF COPOLYMERS AN D TERPOLYMERS OF BUTADIENE AND ALPHA-OLEFIN

The thermal behaviour of strongly alternating butadiene/ethylene-copol ymers and co- and terpolymers of butadiene and alpha-olefin have been investigated using mainly DSC and X-ray diffraction methods, supported by TMA and DMA measurements. The crystallization degree of the butadi ene/ethylene-copolymer is very high due to the linear nobranched main chain. The increasing length of the side chains in copolymers of butad iene and higher alpha-olefines (butane-1 to decene-1) influence the cr ystallization heavily, the resulting copolymers are amorphous. Only th e copolymer butadiene/dodecene-1 has some crystallinity due a crystall ization of the side chains. Similar is the influence of the termonomer propylene on the crystallization degree. The crystallization degree, the melting temperature and the heat of fusion decrease with an increa sing content of propylene in those terpolymers. The influence of the t hird component on the glass transition will be discussed.