POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE-CYCLODEXTRIN NETWORKS SYNTHESIZED INTO A POROUS POLYSTYRENE GEL - AN INVESTIGATION BY ENERGY-FILTERING TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Crosslinked poly(styrene)-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-cyclodextrin systems are a new class of multicomponent polymer networks. They are prepared by swelling a polystyrene gel (PS) with the components of the poly(dim ethylsiloxane)-cyclodextrin network (PDMS(CDX)) and subsequent crossli nking. Electron spectroscopic imaging and elemental mapping are approp riate methods for the investigation of these polymer systems, which co ntain heteroatoms in one of their components. It is shown that PDMS(CD X) is uniformly distributed within PS. Interpenetration with PS is res ponsible for the stable anchoring of PDMS(CDX) and prevents phase sepa ration.